Agenda item

That the presentation be noted.

The Chair introduced Nick Thomas and Anthony Randles of Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and invited them to deliver a presentation on the work of NRW in Flintshire.  The main features of the presentation were:

·         Who we are

·         Our purpose

·         Landowner and Land Manager

·         Outdoor Recreation

·         Designating Authority

·         Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Flintshire

·         Flintshire Coastal Tourism Potential Challenges

·         Potential for a Dee Estuary Regional Park

·         Species Management / Alien Species Legislative Update

·         Fisheries Management

·         Partnership Work

·         Water Framework Directive

·         Environmental Regulation

·         Incident Management

·         Fly Tipping

·         The River Dee

·         Flood Risk Management

·         Environmental Bill

Mr. Thomas spoke about the wide remit of NRW and described Flintshire as unique in terms of the urban areas and significant wildlife interest.  During an overview of partnership work, he highlighted the role of the Halkyn Mountain Ranger and close links between NRW and the Countryside team on improvements to the Wales coastal path.  He cited the potential for joint working on a possible Dee Estuary Regional Park which would not only be an opportunity to enhance recreation but could also help to benefit the environment (ie  removal of eyesores) which in turn could improve employment opportunities (eg  tourism, light industry etc) and hence improve the prospects for the Estuary’s communities.  However, he raised concerns about the annual joint working partnership with the Countryside and Environment service in view of the intention by Welsh Government (WG) to allocate funding to local authorities through the Revenue Support Grant.  He also advised that more funding would be required to support the Dee Invasive Project to tackle various invasive species and that officers were currently considering the implications of the European Directive.

Mr. Randles provided explanation on the setup of his team and gave an update on progress with the second cycle of the Water Framework Directive.  He spoke about a range of improvements which had been carried out on the River Alyn, together with the various workstreams covered by Environmental Regulations.

Councillor Paul Shotton welcomed the potential for more improvements at Wepre Park and the idea of a Dee Estuary Regional Park.  He asked about the emphasis on more partnership working and the impact on NRW in relation to the Euro funding available for rural communities.  Mr. Thomas spoke about eligible areas under the Rural Development Plan, the need to submit bids at an early stage and the commitment from NRW to work in partnership to deliver objectives.  In response to a question on cockling, he said that the beds were opened between July and December, and explained the consequences from the difficult conditions this year which had resulted in low stocks and the potential impact on next year.  On the Coastal Defence Survey, he shared concerns about the erosion of sand dunes at Talacre, but highlighted the challenges of resolving this satisfactorily, as evidenced previously.  On the subject of fracking, explanation was given on the role of NRW in issuing licences which met the necessary criteria with consideration of the implications and impact on surrounding areas.  On another matter, it was stated that funding had been allocated to support the control and management of invasive species in Flintshire including Bagillt.

In response to comments about the potential for flooding in Talacre, Mr. Randles agreed to pass these and any other similar issues to his colleagues responsible for flood management.  The Facilitator explained that whilst flooding was within the Terms of Reference of the Committee, the Emergency Planning Manager had not been invited to the meeting as Emergency Planning and Civil Contingencies was under the remit of the Corporate Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee.  This prompted comments from Councillor Kevin Jones who referred to the flood warning scheme and asked whether the funding allocated to flood management over the past ten years had achieved successful outcomes.  Mr. Randles agreed to pursue a response for the Committee and also agreed to feedback comments from Councillor Ron Davies on the bad smell from the sewage plant in Queensferry.

Following a question on fly tipping, Mr. Randles explained that the protocol between NRW and North Wales local authorities provided clarity on responsibilities.  He gave examples of larger issues on private or public land which would be dealt with by NRW, whereas smaller tips on Council owned or private land would be under the remit of the local authority.  The individual landowner would be responsible for the removal of the material and NRW had powers to serve notice and prosecute if necessary.

Councillor Brian Lloyd commented on the need to target invasive species more effectively to prevent regrowth.  Mr. Thomas said that the aim was to focus on those species considered to be a more significant problem.  He added that Canadian Pondweed tended to be more localised than Himalayan Balsam or Japanese Knotweed, and that a licence was required to use pesticides with the preferred option for volunteers to pull out the weeds.  As stated during the presentation, major improvements had been made on the upper part of the River Alyn with work continuing downstream.

The Chair asked if a list of hotspot areas for invasive species could be circulated to all Members to generate assistance from local volunteer groups.  Mr. Randles said that the presentation slide on invasive species included a link to access information on the Dee Invasive Project.  A link to the presentation was available to all Members on the Council’s website and a link to the report on alien invasive species would also be circulated by NRW.

Councillor Mike Peers asked about the likelihood of NRW achieving its objectives under the Environmental Bill in the absence of any additional funding.  Mr. Thomas explained that the full implications were not yet known as the Bill was not due to be granted Royal Assent until Spring 2016.  This was aligned to the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act and both pieces of legislation were significant in affecting all public bodies in terms of workload.

In response to a question from Councillor Jones, Mr. Thomas explained that funding from NRW to support the joint working partnership with the Countryside and Environment services (currently £37,900) was reducing year on year.  It was understood that this element would in future be included within the Revenue Support Grant given to the Council.  Mr. Thomas said that WG would need to clarify if any restrictions were to be attached to this element to avoid it being diverted to other services.

The Chair thanked the NRW representatives for their presentation and for responding to the questions raised.

RESOLVED:

That the presentation be noted.