Scoping Report Consultation
Over the past five years the Deben Estuary Management Plan has informed planning and management decisions on the River Deben estuary. Much has changed, even over this short period, and the Deben Estuary Partnership is now embarking on a revision process to identify challenges faced on the estuary today and to bring the estuary plan up to date.
Background
The estuaries along the Suffolk coast form a major part of the coastal area and are intrinsic to its coastal character. Noted for its’ peace and tranquillity, the Deben Estuary is a distinctive area of high-quality estuarine landscape, with significant habitat for wildlife and important historical features. Threats to the stability of the estuary and its hinterland are various but the risk of flooding and the sustainability of flood defences are primary concerns.
Historically the Environment Agency (EA) set out a Flood Risk Management Strategy which set out how flooding could affect the range of assets and activities that exist within an Estuary and how government funding could, in the context of national policy, be used to maintain or improve flood defences so as to protect property or assets.
In 2015 a wider, more inclusive approach to estuary planning was adopted. A Deben Estuary Plan was positioned under the umbrella of existing policy, acknowledged statutory requirements and dealt with flood risk and estuary defences while allowing stakeholders to identify local needs and aspirations to influence objectives and policies.
This Plan is now 5 years old and therefore needs to be reviewed and updated to reflect changes, at the national and local level, to key policy areas and changing environmental circumstances. The preparation of a revised Deben Estuary Management Plan will involve a review of these themes and policies. As before, stakeholder engagement will be essential to ensure that the revision process is inclusive, comprehensive and reflects key issues, concerns and changes. This Scoping Report is the first, formal stage in the review process.
The Scoping Report notes existing objectives, sets out matters to be considered and updated and identifies new areas which should be addressed.
Role of this Scoping Document
To ensure that the revised Deben Estuary Management Plan is comprehensive, up to date, fit for purpose and able to be an effective tool for managing the Deben Estuary over the next five years we are seeking your views. Please consider the issues identified, the justification for including them, and please identify any additional issues which need to be included in the document.
The scoping document can be downloaded here as a Word document, or reviewed over the next few pages. Please submit your feedback and responses to the questions via the online form or return the document to the email address given in the file. Please submit your response by 5pm 14-Aug-2021.
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