There have been some interesting responses to the news last week that the District Council is giving East Devon’s rivers legal rights.
The news has even reached – and been welcomed in – Sweden: Naturens rättigheter | Det rör på sig i UK också
Meanwhile, there has been some good comment on the thread from River Action UK – Big news for East Devon’s rivers!💧 – including:
Good , but What measures are to be taken to ensure this ?
Good intent but meaningless if they can’t solve river problems such as sewage dumping, pollution, erosion, etc. Do they have a plan and authority over any of these things?
Looking at the river protection bid in East Devon, there is some indication as to how things might work out in practice:
The decision means that greater focus will be put on considering rivers as a crucial factor in a range of council decisions, ultimately recognising the “intrinsic ecological value” of all rivers and streams
It also embedded a commitment to work with various agencies and to lobby government via local MPs on the issue, which could include calls for better environmental protections via beefed-up statutes or new laws…
Various references were made to the impact planning and development can have on the area’s watercourses, but Councillor Todd Olive (Liberal Democrat, Whimple & Rockbeare) noted that the council had taken “”really serious and significant steps” to try and protect nature. “We have done lots of work on the sewage situation in East Devon and now have the years-long water cycle study, which we spent thousands and thousands on, and which is unique in Devon,” he said. “We are the only council in the county in the past 15 years to produce one.” He added it was a “leading piece of work” that makes clear where there is and is no sewage capacity for more homes, and that this information would help it either block new homes or put so-called Grampian conditions upon developers that require certain sewage works to be concluded before homes can be built or occupied.
So, yes, there might well be serious repercussions on the ground (as well as in the water) here in East Devon. Let’s see how such real issues are affected.’
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