The Deben Estuary Plan was published in April 2015. Much has changed in the years since then, not only in the physical environment, but also in public perceptions and the way that people choose to use the river. We are now in the process of developing a revised and updated Deben Estuary Plan, which will build on the previous work but with a specific focus on ‘Change – climate, community and culture’, and we are trying to ensure that our members are representative of all the stakeholders.
At the meeting on 21 September 2023, the Steering Group approved an outline structure for the revised and updated Estuary Plan. In particular, we identified ten focus areas, each of which will be be considered and developed by a sub-set of partners and other experts that have an interest and/or relevant expertise. These will eventually become the ten main chapters of the new Estuary Plan:
Agreed Focus Areas and Chapter Leads
| Flood Risk Management – David Kemp (Environment Agency) |
| Environment & Biodiversity – Jane Healy (Transition Woodbridge) |
| Water Quality & Wastewater Disposal – Ruth Leach (Save the Deben) |
| Terrestrial Planning – Bev McClean (Suffolk & Essex Coast and Heaths National Landscape) |
| Marine Planning – Ben Grundy (Kyson Fairways Committee) |
| Landscape and Heritage – Matt Wood (National Trust) |
| Estuary Economics – tbc |
| Agriculture – Peter Youngs |
| Recreation & Leisure – Malcolm Hodd |
| Broader Constituencies (non-resident stakeholders) – Helene Burningham (UCL) |