The Deben Climate Centre (a DEP partner organisation) have today published a detailed report on E.coli and phosphate pollution in the River Deben. Written by scientists and local residents Bill Brammar PhD and David Findley PhD, it is the result of more than 12 months of sampling and testing results from 26 locations in the upper, non-tidal reaches of the River Deben.

As set out in our constitution, DEP must hold at least one public meeting each year. So our next DEP meeting (January 2024) will be open to the public.

Date and Time: 09:30 to 11:30 on 18 January 2024

Location: Deben Room, East Suffolk Council offices, Melton, Suffolk IP12 1RT

The Suffolk Coast Forum ‘takes a partnership approach to flood and coastal erosion risk management on the coast and estuaries and closely related issues in the context of an Integrated Coastal Zone Management approach’ The partner organisations include: Alde & Ore Community Partnership; Stour & Orwell Estuaries Management Group; Bawdsey Coastal Partnership; Blythe Estuary Partnership; and the Deben Estuary Partnership. Other member organisations include: Environment Agency, Natural England; Suffolk Coasts and Heaths AONB; Coastal Partnership East; Marine Management Organisation; and others. The Forum is chaired by Councillor David Bevan.

Following twelve months of river water sampling, Anglian Water will be holding a ‘Question and Answer’ session to share a summary of the year’s findings and how they propose using that data to propel any actions needed at their own treatment works and other parts of the Anglian Water networks.

The DEP, as well as other local stakeholders, has been invited to this meeting, which will take place on 14 November 2023 at the Kings Head, Woodbridge, starting at 11am.

The River Deben Association’s Autumn talk at the Woodbridge Quay Church on 26^th October 2023. Doors open at 7.00pm with the talk starting at 7.30pm.

Lord Deben has been a member of the UK Climate Change Committee for over ten years and has also held the positions of Secretary of State for the Environment and MP for Suffolk Coastal.

In a letter sent to the Prime Minister at the end of June 2023 Lord Deben, as the then chair of the Climate Change Committee, made an assessment of UK progress in reducing emissions, saying that:

• The failure to act decisively in response to the energy crisis and build on the success of hosting COP26 means that the UK has lost its clear global climate leadership.
• Inaction has been compounded by continuing support for further unnecessary investment in fossil fuels.
• The Government must act urgently to correct the failures of the past year and reclaim the UK’s clear climate leadership role.

This will be an engaging talk on a highly topical subject as well as a discussion afterwards. We look forward to an interesting evening.

The Deben Estuary Partnership will be participating in the first annual East Anglian Coast and Estuaries Conference which will take place on Thursday 12Oct23, both online and in person at Wherstead Park, Suffolk.

As well as listening to the speakers and participating in the discussions, we will have a small stand at the venue, so please come and have a chat with us – we look forward to meeting you there!

It was great to see so many of our partners, institutional advisers, and other interested parties at the General Meeting held at East Suffolk House on 21Sep23. This gathering was two meetings in one:

• a General Meeting to check that our Steering Group members were happy with the direction that the DEP was travelling, and to formally approve our (slightly revised) constitution and confirm Thomas Yeung and Colin Nicholson as Chair and Vice-Chair
• an Estuary Plan working meeting to discuss and agree the outline structure of the revised Estuary Plan, and to discuss and agree who would be best placed to contribute to each of the focus areas

The minutes of that meeting are available here, but in summary:

• the DEP constitution and Management Arrangements were formally approved and posted on the website
• Thomas Yeung and Colin Nicholson were confirmed in place as Chair and Vice-Chair
• the Sept 2023 Financial Report was reviewed and approved
• ten ‘focus areas’ (that will eventually be reflected in the structure of the revised Estuary Plan) were identified and agreed, and teams allocated to each
• we agreed that the next DEP meeting will take place on Thursday 18 January 2023 at East Suffolk House, and will be a public open meeting

The agreed Constitution and Management Arrangements have been published on the website, as well as the ten ‘focus areas’. We will list the lead person/organisation for each area once they have agreed to be named.

Transition Woodbridge and 5th Woodbridge Sea Scouts are coordinating a public River Clean on Saturday 16Sep23. Meet at the Scout hut at 12:30 – all equipment will be provided. And there is even the possibility of cake for the volunteers after the litter pick! We hope to see you there!

The PhotoPosts project is a collaborative monitoring and public engagement enterprise involving AONB Suffolk Coasts & Heaths, the Deben Estuary Partnership, Parish Councils, and coastal scientist Helene Burningham of UCL. With funding from Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB, aligning with their Landscape Lens project, PhotoPosts have been installed around the Deben estuary and local coastline to support the monitoring of coastal change and inform decision-making and coastal management.

There are photoposts on the Deben riverbank recording the same view of the opposite riverbank for coastal erosion research.  More pictures are needed, say the Transition Woodbridge team.

It’s easy to take part.  All you do is take a landscape photo (portrait has too much sky!) through the frame on the post and send it to debenphotoposts@gmail.com

There’s a post in Woodbridge by the Tide Mill and one near the Deben Vale Cafe along the towpath. 

All year round, all weathers, all tides – enjoy the view!

Prof Peter Hobson of Writtle led a ‘Green Infrastructure’ planning workshop for local parish councils and other interested parties (including DEP) at Waldringfield Village Hall on 30 August. This was a great opportunity to meet and work with many of our stakeholders and partner organisations in a structured process to collectively generate an action plan for the parishes in the Deben Estuary.

The event was well attended, and the following groups were represented:

Towns/Parishes of Brightwell, Foxhall & Purdis Farm, Hemley, Kesgrave, Martlesham, Melton, Newbourne, Rushmore St Andrew, Ufford, Woodbridge.

East Suffolk Council, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB, Deben Estuary Partnership, Deben Soundings, Forestry Commission, Greenprint Forum, National Farmers Union (NFU), Taylor Wimpey- Brightwell Lakes, Suffolk Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (SFWAG), Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Suffolk Tree Warden Network, Upper Deben Farms, plus local farmers and growers from our community.

For me, one of the most interesting concepts that was discussed was a ‘Climate Focus Area’, which aligned very closely with the geographic area of the Deben Estuary….

Proposed geographic scope of the planning analysis – the ‘Climate Focus Area’