Issue - meetings

The Council is requested to consider the report circulated with the agenda for this item and to make the following resolution:

That the Selsey Bathing Water Enhancement Project be approved and authority be delegated to the Divisional Manager for Environmental Protection to approve the detailed spend of the grant awarded by Southern Water.

The Council considered the report and its appendix for this item which had been circulated at pages 64 to 69 of the Council agenda.

Mr J Connor (Cabinet Member for Environment Services) formally moved the recommendation in the agenda report and this was seconded by Mr R Barrow (Cabinet Member for Residents Services).

Mr Connor presented the agenda report. He said that the project had been developed by CDC’s Selsey Bathing Water Enhancement Project Working Group (SBWEPWG). He had chaired its meeting during the past 18 months, which were attended by CDC members and officers, and representatives of Selsey Town Council and Southern Water (SW). SW updated SBWEPWG on the nature and sources of contamination of the bathing waters at East Beach. As a result SW was now rectifying a large number of pollution sources across the entire East Beach area. Whereas it had been relatively easy albeit costly to deal with built-environment pollution sources, it was more challenging to address pollution emanating from human or animal activity. The SBWEPWG had identified a range of positive actions to address those issues eg litter and the measures would be implemented during the remainder of the 2018 bathing season (hence the need to bring this report urgently to the Council meeting now rather than await the next Cabinet meeting in early September 2018) and then in 2019. It was hoped that once the pollution causes were addressed and drawn to the public’s attention, a future recurrence could be avoided. He commended to the Council approval of the funding.

During the discussion members spoke in support of the project.

Mr Connor and Mr D Henly (Senior Engineer) responded where appropriate to members’ questions and comments on points of detail with regard to (a) confirming that the funding for the project was for 2018-2019 and a need to carry out further work in the future if required would have to be the subject of a separate agreement but SW would continue to test the water quality periodically; (b) the control of sea birds as a pollutant source was not easy to achieve; (c) the need for people to be vigilant and act responsibly with regard to dog fouling; (d) what were appropriate bird deterrent measures; and (e) how the project would sit well alongside CDC’s anti-litter campaign.   

Decision

On a show of hands the members voted unanimously in favour of the resolution set out below with no votes against and no abstentions. 

RESOLVED

That the Selsey Bathing Water Enhancement Project be approved and authority be delegated to the Divisional Manager for Environmental Protection to approve the detailed spend of the grant awarded by Southern Water.