Protecting the Solent- how the Marine Bill will help
15th July 2009
I’ve been up to my ears over the last few weeks in the final stages of Marine and Coastal Access Bill in the House of Commons. When it comes in it will have quite an impact on the Solent.
One of the big issues for the Solent is how to strike a fair balance between the many different users of the waters so that they are all fairly treated. How can we properly reconcile the shared space of marinas, inshore fisheries, container ships passenger ferries and aggregate extraction with the well being of the sea-bed, and the protection of the natural environment?
The ‘Marine’ part of the Bill sets up a proper planning and protection regime for England’s coastal waters for the first time, and will ensure that areas of the sea for commercial and port use, for uses like offshore renewable energy, and areas of important natural habitat protected from trawling or intrusive development are all defined, to the benefit of the users of the sea and conservation concerns alike.
It will bring in, for example, Marine Conservation Zones which will protect the flora and fauna of the sea in those areas, and will expand on zones like the Lyme Bay zone in Dorset which protects the cold water corals abundant in the area. Making sure that a busy area of water like the Solent is able to maintain its marine habitats whilst accommodating the large ships and leisure craft that frequent it will be vitally important for the future.
The ‘coastal access’ part of the bill will also make a difference in the Solent. The overall aim of the bill is to establish a right of public access to the whole coastline, to follow the ‘right to roam’ advances in the countryside achieved by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act of a few years ago.
That Act had some exceptions and it is important that exceptions to coastal access likewise are carefully considered. Tramping through peoples back gardens in the name of coastal access is clearly not on, but proper arrangements with large estates and parks to ensure the establishment of footpaths and rights of way along the coast is.
And Hampshire is one of the parts of the country with big issues on coastal access. The Solent Way, one of the longest coastal paths in the country stretching for 60 miles from Chichester to Keyhaven, currently takes a huge diversion between Hythe and Lymington, sometimes running five miles inland, because no agreement on access can be obtained with some large landowners in the area.
I moved an amendment to the bill which better defines exceptions and, with the assurances I received from Ministers whilst it was being debated, should mean that coastal access across the whole of South Hampshire becomes a real prospect for the future.
Making sure that our natural environment is both protected and available for our enjoyment, particularly in a heavily populated area like south Hampshire is important for many thousands of people: I hope that the grind of getting all the clauses of the Marine bill right in committee over the past few weeks will make that real difference.
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