The Severn Estuary Forum is a key annual event in its eighth year and hosted by the Severn Estuary Partnership: an independent, estuary-wide initiative, involving all those interested in the management of the estuary, from planners to port authorities, fishermen to farmers. This year’s Forum was opened by the Lord Mayor of Gloucester and supported by CIWEM. It focussed on a number of diverse topics, including the upper estuary; renewable energy possibilities; a review of the Severn Estuary Flood Risk Management Strategy; an overview of the operations and maintenance of the Severn River Crossings; Local Enterprise Partnerships; The Bristol Deep Sea Container Terminal; proposals for a Severnside Airport and Fisheries amongst others. These engaging and exciting events are intended for all interested in learning about the latest research and policy developments dealing with the Severn Estuary and its future, and always guarantee a lively and informative day of presentations and talks. They offer a unique opportunity to learn from others, share ideas and participate in the management of the Severn Estuary.

1. Partnership working from a grass roots perspective
No one has time any more. Life is filled with PowerPoint displays
andelectronic consultations with electronic submissions. The instant nature of
emails and texts has introduced us to a world of both better and worse
communication. We appear to be losing the urge and ability to communicate in
person and to see for ourselves. For this reason, I deliberately decided to
address you in the old fashioned way, without any props.
I am a farm and estate secretary and local historian. My ancestors have lived
along both sides of the upper Severn estuary, probably back as far as the 13th
century and maybe before that. They fished and worked the river, and helped
maintain the flood defences built to protect valuable farmland. My employers,
the Clifford family of Frampton on Severn, have been doing the same for almost
a millennium. Some of the oldest surviving datable Roman flood defences in
the country can be seen just south of Gloucester at Longney.
During that time men, women and children observed the river at close quarters,
pitted their wits against it, and relied on their intimate knowledge to survive.
The passage of their knowledge to each successive generation ensured a
continuity of understanding that extended well into the twentieth century.
Indeed, when the Severn River Board started to take over responsibility for the
maintenance of flood defences in the 1930s the benefits of two millennia of
'grass roots' knowledge was fully recognised and, thanks largely to the efforts of
its District Engineer, Fred Rowbotham, landowners, farmers and fishermen
remained fully involved in the river's management, their input being actively
sought and greatly appreciated.
Fred was the ultimate liaison officer. He lived, breathed and worked the river
all his life. He listened, understood and enabled partnership working. Due to
the make-up of its members, the Lower Severn Internal Drainage Board is
probably the only organisation to maintain the type of close relationship with
landowners and farmers so championed by Fred, and this ethos continues to
show in its successful management of land drainage in the Severn Vale.
However, after Fred retired in 1974, management of the upper Severn estuary
was never quite the same.
By the time the Shoreline Management Plan Review was undertaken 35 years
later, communication with those at grass roots level had all but disappeared.
Landowners, farmers and parish councils along the 53 miles of Gloucestershire
coastline - from Lydney to Gloucester and back down to Sharpness - were not
consulted, even though Defra's protocol suggested that they should have been.
As a consequence, the grass roots knowledge which should have been fed into
this strategic document was missing, and those compiling the Shoreline
Management Plan Review were not in full possession of the facts.In parallel, the
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2. Environment Agency produced itsoriginal Flood Risk Management Strategy the absolute antithesis of partnership working.
To make matters worse, employees from both government and non-government
organisations that should have questioned the efficacy of both documents were
either too busy or too ill-informed to look seriously at them and they merely
rubber-stamped their contents. Eventually, when those at grass roots level were
finally given the opportunity to comment, it was parish councillors and
parishioners who realised how flawed the strategies were. Severn Voice,
representing the east bank parishes between Slimbridge and Elmore, took their
concerns to the Minister, Richard Benyon, who consigned the Environment
Agency's Flood Risk Management Strategy to the dustbin because there had
been no engagement at grass roots level. I think Fred Rowbotham would have
been proud of Severn Voice's efforts, but he would also have been extremely
dismayed at how out of touch almost all other organisations had become.
They say that 'every cloud has a silver lining' and the Environment Agency regrouped and their team worked with Severn Voice to devise a protocol of
engagement with those at grass roots level. The new Flood Risk Management
Strategy has been a joint effort; a lot has been learned by all parties and one
would like to think that the relationships forged during its development will be
maintained.
However, that whole process has revealed many flaws in the system of
gathering knowledge. At the beginning of 2013Advance the Line, a group of
local people with relevant professional expertise, published its report, Gauging
the tide, which served as a critical review of the methods used to assess and
manage flood risk in the upper Severn estuary.
Unlike the rest of the estuary, the coastline from Lydney/Sharpness to
Gloucester is not currently included in the Southwest Strategic Regional Coastal
Monitoring Programme leaving one to question exactly why those compiling
the Shoreline Management Plan Review did not recommend redressing this
oversight which left them woefully short of data on which to base their Review.
At the request of Advance the Line the Environment Agency sent a coastal
adviser to Frampton and as we looked across the wide, open expanse of the
estuary to Awre anddiscussed the effects of the weather, tides and manmade
features he understood exactly why we had brought him there. He has now
recommended that the coastline from Sharpness/Lydney to Gloucester is
included in the coastal monitoring programme. Furthermore, at the instigation
of Advance the Line discussions are in progress with Cardiff University's
School of Earth and Ocean Sciences to see whether a long-term study can be
undertaken in the upper estuary to aid understanding of the reasons for the
movement of the main channel and the effects this has on erosion and accretion.
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3. As my research withAdvance the Line has proved, looking at the history of
the area together with the effects of current events is a very necessary part of the
learning process and we are willing to share our grass roots knowledge with
Cardiff University and others.
Advance the Line found that data from the four tide gauges at Sharpness,
Epney, Minsterworth and Gloucester was not currently interrogated, so the
effects of climate change on both fluvial and tidal flow is not being measured.
This stretch of the estuary, particularly from Gloucester to
Arlingham/Newnham on Severn is heavily affected by fluvial flow and it is
predicted that increased storminess will raise river levels in the coming decades.
It is important to have baseline data from which to determine what is actually
happening so that flood defences can be maintained at effective levels. It will
also help inform on the effects of any future proposals for renewable energy in
the estuary such as a barrage.
Now I am pleased to say that all of these recommendations are being acted upon
by the Environment Agency - but I must express my amazement that it took a
group working at grass roots level to point out the glaringly obvious - you
cannot produce meaningful strategies without basic facts and figures.
Advance the Linevoluntarily undertakes regular monitoring along a stretch of
coastline at Frampton on Severn that is undergoing severe erosion which, if it
continues at the present rate will mean that in less than ten years the tides will
regularly reach the canal embankment which acts as our tidal flood defence.
Martin Quaile has just mentioned the possibility of a third Severn crossing
between Sharpness and Lydney. That would be great news for us in Frampton
because our land would start accreting again, just as it did during the lifetime of
the Severn railway bridge which crossed at that point. The Environment
Agency say they are grateful for our work (having previously been unaware that
a potential problem existed) and for almost 12 months they have promised to
meet and discuss our protocol so that this can be carried out as scientifically as
possible. Our next scheduled annual monitoring is during the first week of
November but the Environment Agency do not have the funds to provide us
with a measuring wheel. How sad. We are giving up our own time, are willing
to share our local specialist knowledge and we have to rely on our surveyor's
tape which blows in the wind and potentially reduces the accuracy of our
readings. We have not asked for much. So, may I put out a plea that if anyone
here today has a spare measuring wheel please could they get in contact with me
over lunch.
This stretch of warthland at Frampton has been in managed realignment for 20
years having been managed under various stewardship schemes which have
allowed the greater ingress and retention of tidal water since the abandonment
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4. of the old sea defences in favour of newly designated flood defences further
inland. From a grass roots perspective Frampton Court Estate feels that a lot
can be learned through regular monitoring and study and that the knowledge
gained would prove useful when other managed realignment schemes are
considered elsewhere in the dynamic environment of the upper estuary. Indeed,
we work closely onsite with Natural England to share our knowledge and
understanding. Across the country, the normal period for such monitoring is
only up to five years; a miserably short time which surely fails to provide
sufficiently meaningful data. More frustrating though is the fact that the
Environment Agency disagree with Natural England and do not believe the area
is in managed realignment at all!
During the Christmas break Martin Quaile and I and a few others at grass roots
level met with Gloucestershire Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group to work
up a bid for Defra's Flood Resilience Community Pathfinder scheme. We set
out to build up a better understanding of tide-locking, a very important issue in
the upper estuary where water from the land drainage systems is prevented from
discharging into the Severn whilst the tide is in and the tide flaps are shut. It is
a problem that will increase with climate change and needs to be understood
should another tidal energy scheme be proposed. We at grass roots level gave
up our spare time (evenings, weekends etc) to meet the almost impossibly short
deadlines given by Defra, as we were passionate about making our communities
more flood resilient. In the 12 parishes bordering the upper estuary, drainage
ditches and their governance would have been recorded which would have a led
to a more co-ordinated approach to their maintenance. In addition, interrogation
of the tide gauge data would have given a better understanding of river levels.
The Integrated Local Delivery approach we would have used is proven to create
a better ownership of the difficulties faced by communities as they work in
partnership with government and non-government organisations. Both the
Environment Agency and Gloucestershire County Council supported our bid,
but unfortunately neither could give sufficient time to ensure its success, and
meetings with their staff were very difficult to arrange in the timescales we
were given. Our bid, which had to be submitted via the County Council, was
short-listed, but ultimately unsuccessful, and what really hurt us was that Defra
only awarded 80% of the money available under the scheme; the remaining
£1million stayed in its coffers. Apparently, somewhat unusually, we, the
community, had put together a scheme; those schemesthat were awarded funds
appeared to have all been council-led and then linked into community working.
Today all organisations face increasing pressures on their budgets and what
particularly concerns the parishes along the upper Severn estuary is the extent of
funding available for the maintenance of flood defences. On the west bank,
Awre Riverside Landowners have been working in partnership with the
Environment Agency to keep their flood defences in working order on a 'make
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5. do and mend' basis. Many more communities will face similar decisions in the
coming years.
Gloucestershire NFU Severn Estuary Stakeholders (NFUSES) was set up in
2011 to promote just such partnership working. Its members comprise both
government and non-government organisations, and most importantly, those at
grass roots level. NFUSES addresses many subjects concerning the upper
estuary, but our prime concern is the maintenance of flood defences. The
Environment Agency has an almost impossible job to juggle diminishing
budgets that are not allocated until two months into the current tax year.
Members of NFUSES are currently working in partnership to establish the best
way to satisfactorily progress this most difficult issue. From our meetings it is
apparent that the Environment Agencyreally values the different perspectives
and knowledge that members bring.
I'll finish with a word about traditional salmon fishing methods which are
currently under threat in the upper Severn estuary.I'm sure the next speaker will
make mention of this. From a grass roots perspective it has been disappointing
to see the Environment Agency yet again failing to engage properly over a
consultation and those affected havingto arrange a meeting with Richard
Benyonin an attempt to sort out the problem. I spoke at that meeting on behalf
of the salmon fishery owners, none of which had been consulted at any time
about the likelihood that some of their fisheries would become permanently
unfishable due to reductions in catch and the number of licences issued to lave
netsmen.
Options to manage salmon catch in the lave and draft net fisheries of the Severn
Estuary proved to be the epitome of modern-day thinking and working practice
with its electronic consultation documents, electronic submissions and poor
outreach to some of those most affected. One of the most exasperating aspects
was the methodology used to assess people's 'willingness to pay' for maintaining
the traditional fishing methods. Not only were the majority of those
interviewed living in such unconnected places as Birmingham, Reading and
Slough, not one person along the estuary from Awre to Rodley, or Slimbridge to
Gloucester was interviewed. One is also left to wonder why the focus was on
willingness to pay. Goodness knows how much the study cost. All I can say is
that the money would have been better spent talking to the fishery owners, local
fishermen and those living within the communities most affected.
Richard Benyon remarked to me that he was amazed to find such a lack of
partnership working and communication within the Severn estuary when the
Shoreline Management Plan Review and original Flood Risk Management
Strategy were being prepared. We always like to think that the Severn estuary
is unique. It is, but in this instance for the wrong reasons. Elsewhere in the
country the thinking is, apparently, much more joined-up.
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6. So, my message to all of you who work for the organisations that have input
into the management of the upper estuary and the Severnside parishes is this:
when you are at the initial stages of planning any works, compiling a strategy or
considering a withdrawal from flood defence maintenance please spend time
remembering how much more informed your decisions will be if you utilise the
wealth of knowledge that grows at grass roots level.
Rose Hewlett
Severn Estuary Partnership Forum - 17th October 2013
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