Exmouth residents will have a chance to learn more about the benefits of the Environment Agency’s £12 million tidal defence scheme at a drop-in event next week.

The event is being held on Wednesday 5 September at Ocean on Queens Drive, EX8 2AY between 11am and 8pm.

Rob Butler, project manager for the Environment Agency, said:

We have listened to feedback from the consultation events held in 2015 and 2016. We have designed a scheme that reduces tidal flood risk for many in Exmouth from a 4% chance to 0.5% chance in any given year.

This public exhibition is a great opportunity to come and see the plans we have developed and discuss them with the project team.

The Environment Agency is working in partnership with East Devon District Council to deliver this important scheme.

Councillor Tom Wright, East Devon’s portfolio holder for the environment, said:

East Devon District Council is totally committed to working with our partners, the Environment Agency and Devon County Council, to ensure the future flood defences for Exmouth.

This is demonstrated in the urgent works we will be starting next month to reinforce the sea wall near Mamhead slipway. I urge all Exmouth residents to visit the exhibition.

The scheme is being designed and will be built by civil engineering contractor Team Van Oord. It will include:

• Flood embankments and walls between the Withycombe Brook and Imperial recreation ground.
• Raised defences between the Imperial recreation ground and Camperdown Terrace.
• Strengthening the existing seawall, improving drainage for water to drain back out to sea, flood gates and new set-back defences along the landward side of the Esplanade.

Following the public exhibition a planning application will be submitted to East Devon District Council, the local planning authority, in late September. If permission is granted construction will begin early in 2019 and should be complete by 2021.

The monthly landings statistics will be released at 9.30am on the 4th Friday of each month, or the next working day if this is a bank holiday.

The monthly landings statistics will be released at 9.30am on the 4th Friday of each month, or the next working day if this is a bank holiday.

Proposals for a multi-million scheme to protect thousands of properties from flooding from the Humber has been put forward to Hull’s planning chiefs.

Planning permission is being sought for a £42 million Humber Hull Frontage Improvement Scheme to improve a 7-8 kilometre stretch of tidal flood defences in the Humber Estuary.

Led by the Environment Agency, the scheme has been designed to better protect 113,000 homes and businesses that are at risk from tidal flooding.

If the scheme gets planning approval, work will start at the end of the year and will be completed by the end of 2020.

Nine sites have been identified as part of the scheme including St Andrew’s Quay, Albert Dock and Victoria Dock Village for improved defences.

Contractor BMM JV – a joint venture between BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald – are set to deliver the project which will help improve flood risk along the city’s 19 kilometre waterfront.

Residents can view the detailed plans by visiting Hull City Council’s website:

If you have any questions about the scheme please email: humberhullfrontage@environment-agency.gov.uk

More information is available on our dedicated web pages:

In the past 65 years, there have been three major tidal events in Hull, the last was in December 2013 when 264 properties were flooded due to the overtopping of the existing defences. During high tides, water levels have the potential to rise to around 1 – 3m above some parts of the city.

Over the last few years, the Environment Agency has reviewed the existing Humber flood defences from Fleet Drain to the west of the city, through Hull, to Lord’s Clough in the east. This work has identified the nine sites where work is now being proposed.

Helen Tattersdale, project manager at the Environment Agency, said:

“It is vital for Hull to have improved defences to protect against the potential devastating tidal flooding from the Humber Estuary.

“This investment has enabled us to assess a significant length of the current flood defence walls and embankments that run along the Hull frontage to come up with a scheme that will better protect the city both now and in the future taking into account climate change.”

“Over the past few months, we have been gathering feedback on aspects of the design from local residents and landowners, and other interested organisations including Natural England, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Hull City Council which have been taken into account in our proposals.”

These improvements in Hull are supported by a further four kilometres (2.5 mile) of new and raised tidal defences on either side of the city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, at Hessle and Paull, delivered by East Riding of Yorkshire Council in partnership with the Environment Agency.

The Humber Hull Frontage Improvement Scheme is one of a number of tidal flood alleviation projects that form part of the Humber Flood Risk Management Strategy. The Environment Agency and local partners are now in the process of developing an advanced approach to managing flooding in tidal areas by the River Humber for the next 100 years.

It will be a long-term investment that will contribute to securing the viability of Hull and the wider Humber region, ensuring it retains its place as the eastern gateway to the UK economy.

This long-term investment will contribute to securing the viability of Hull and the wider Humber region, ensuring it retains its place as the eastern gateway to the UK economy.

The costs associated with marine licence applications made to the Marine Management Organisation are planned to change from 1 September 2018.

This follows a consultation held by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on proposals to revise marine licensing application fees, held between December 2017 and February 2018. The consultation outlined changes needed in order to maintain marine licence applicant fee rates in-line with the costs incurred by the MMO in determining a marine licence application.

The fee rate for a marine licence has not been changed since 2014. Since that time, the cost of determining a marine licence application has increased. These changes will help to ensure that the cost of a marine licence is not subsidised by the UK tax payer.

Defra has now published its response to the consultation and laid a Statutory Instrument in Parliament to provide the legal basis for the changes to take place.

Marine licensing fees from 1 September

The planned implementation date for the changes to marine licence application fees is 1 September 2018. The impact of the changes depend on the band of marine licence applied for and when the application is received/determined.

The MMO will soon update its guidance to reflect the new proposed fees. The main change is a revision of the hourly fee rate from £94 to £122 for Band 2 and 3 applicants.

From 1 September 2018 onwards:

• new Band 2 and 3 applications received by the MMO will be charged the new hourly rate. This includes pre-application cases, applications and discretionary charges.

• marine licence variations and post-consent work on marine licences will remain at £94 per hour

• travel costs will be charged at the new hourly rate and will no longer be capped. Travel and subsistence costs will also be charged. MMO will publish details of their travel and subsistence policy shortly.

There will be a number of Band 2 applications ongoing at 1 September 2018 where the MMO has not yet made a determination. The MMO will introduce transitional arrangements for these and will provide bespoke advice and calculation of fees to applicants.

Band 2 applicants will continue to be charged under the old fee regime until they are determined. However the cap on total costs payable for the existing 2E category will be based on the new arrangements as this is set at a lower level than under the existing scheme.

There will be no transitional arrangements for Band 3 applications, ongoing cases will be charged at the new rate from 1 September.

Improvements to the marine licensing service

The consultation and Government response explain how the MMO has continued to improve marine licensing systems and processes and is committed to further enhancing these. Such changes, introduced since 2015 as part of a marine licensing improvement programme, are estimated to have collectively saved businesses around half a million pounds a year.

One such change was a self-service approach for some low-risk applications, which was included in the consultation.

In responding to the consultation the Government has made a number of commitments to further improve the marine licensing process and systems to make them more transparent and efficient. These commitments include:

• Ensuring service standards are published on the MMO website and the delivery against these standards is monitored and reported
• Ongoing monitoring of the marine licensing regime, with any opportunity to pass on efficiency savings to be considered under the next review of marine licensing application fees
• Reviewing and publishing guidance on travelling relating to marine licence applications, using comments received as part of the consultation to inform this
• Considering whether other specific activities could be added to the list of Band 1 activities when regulations are next reviewed.

The MMO welcomes feedback from marine licensing customers in order to further improve the system to meet their needs and continue to offer value for money.