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PEMBROKESHIRE MARINE CANDIDATE SPECIAL AREA OF CONSERVATION
MINUTES OF JOINT MEETING OF LIAISON FORUM
MONDAY 23 APRIL 2001, PEMBROKESHIRE COAST NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY.
Present
Steve Taylor (SAT) Pembrokeshire County Council (Chair)
Steve Thompson (ST) Estee Aqua (on behalf of the Milford Haven Waterway Users Association)
Julian Orchard (JO) Twr-y-Felin Centre (Recreation rep.)
Steve Hurr (SH) Pembrokeshire County Council
Jane Hodges (JH) Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority
Mike Camplin (MC) Countryside Council for Wales
Blaise Bullimore (BB) Countryside Council for Wales
Sue Burton (SB) SAC Project Officer
Mark Andrews (MA) Milford Haven Port Authority
David Harries (DH) Texaco Ltd (Industry rep.)
Paul Varallo (PV) Environment Agency
Yvonne Evans (YE) Marloes & St Bride's Community Council (Community rep.)
Robin Crump (RC) Orielton Field Centre (on behalf of the Skomer MNR Advisory Committee)
Jim Price (JP) Pembrokeshire Chamber of Commerce (Business & Commerce rep.)
Ian Wisby (IW) The Joint Fishing Communities of South and West Wales (Fisheries rep.)
Jonathan Hughes (JHu) The National Trust
(Titles and honours omitted. Relevant authorities / members of the Relevant Authorities (RA) Group shown in italics).
1. Welcomes & apologies
The chairman welcomed members to the meeting and introduced Steve Hurr (Pembrokeshire County Council) and Jonathan Hughes (The National Trust). Apologies were recorded from Bill Keppel-Compton (Pembrokeshire Tourism Federation - Tourism rep.), Julian Cremona (Dale Fort Field Studies Centre - Education rep.), Jeff Morgan (Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water) and Colonel Michael Portman (Castlemartin RAC).
2. Minutes of Liaison Forum 20 November 2000 and matters arising
The minutes were accepted without correction, with no matters arising.
3. Project Officer report
SB gave a brief update, adding that members would be able, as usual, to read the latest full report from the Relevant Authorities Group minutes.
Funding: No news had been received about the Objective One funding bid. SB was currently in post and funded (by Relevant Authorities) until January 2002.
Interest Group Representatives: SB reported that the Milford Harbour Users Association (MHUA) had been reformed with Fred Fisher as Chairman. Representatives on the Liaison Forum from the MHUA had included Steve Lewis (secretary of MHUA) and Steve Thompson. Bill Keppel-Compton has now taken over the role of secretary of the MHUA and as such replaces Steve Lewis on the Liaison Forum (this is in addition to his sitting on the Liaison Forum in order to represent tourism interests). Steve Thompson remains on the Liaison Forum representing MHUA interests.
Liaison Forum members: The most clearly appropriate 'competent authorities' have been contacted and invited to sit on the Liaison Forum. To date MAFF, the MOD and the National Trust (represented by Jonathan Hughes here today) have expressed an interest in attending meetings, and The Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) has requested copies of the minutes.
Media: A press release was being drafted on otters in the cSAC, requesting sightings information. This article should be released in the next week. Current publicly available articles include 'The Daugleddau Estuary' in this year's PCNPA publication 'Coast-to-Coast' and 'On the wild side' in the new 'Milford Haven Marina and Town Guide'. Both articles were shown to members.
Information collection: Reported as still ongoing - the majority due to be collected according to the project timetable (circulated with the last RAG minutes) by the end of June. SB indicated that a spreadsheet list was currently being drawn up to show what data was now held, where it had originated, and in what format etc. This list would be provided for the next meeting so that members could review it and check for possible omissions.
4. Liaison Structure
A copy of the modified 'liaison structure diagram' (previously referred to as the 'management diagram') had been sent to members prior to the meeting. The diagram was intended to reflect the liaison structure currently in place to facilitate information flow and consultation on matters regarding the SAC. The diagram and the reasons for updating were briefly explained by SB.
ST in a letter to SB, had raised the suggestion of including information within the diagram on where decisions and actions would be taken in connection with the SAC. BB replied that this could well complicate what was intended to be a simplified 'information flow'diagram. Any management decisions requiring action were ultimately the responsibility of the relevant authorities, invariably falling within their statutory duties and powers. Decisions however needed to be strongly influenced by competent authorities, interested parties and the community as a whole, if management of the site was to be successful in the long term. SB agreed to add a line of text to the diagram to explain decision-making responsibilities. ACTION: SB
Members approved the updated diagram and accepted it as a true representation of the liaison structure currently in place.
YE was sorry to hear that Cllr Anne Hughes had stepped down from her position on the SAC Liaison Forum, representing the interests of the coastal communities. Cllr Tom Sinclair (Milford Town Council) had been nominated to be her replacement, and was known to have a busy schedule. YE offered to contact the Pembrokeshire Association of Communities to try and reach a wider community audience.
5. Public Meeting
The main business of the day was to discuss the forthcoming public meeting. A proposed programme for the event had been circulated prior to the meeting. SB explained the idea of holding the meeting jointly with the Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum (PCF) and how the proposed programme had been drawn-up as an option by members of both the RAG and PCF. The proposed date of 23 June had been changed to 16 June to allow Nick Ainger MP (chairman of PCF) to chair the meeting. SAT summarised the differences between the SAC and PCF in terms of goals and resources. The potential existed for a possible future convergence of public interests from the Groups.
YE voiced concern over the possibility that 'other' groups could form which simply overlapped current work - there was no reason to duplicate effort.
ST brought up some views which he had enclosed in a letter to SB prior to the meeting. He was concerned that the relationship between the SAC and PCF should be clarified, and that PCF should seek to be an all-inclusive body which is regarded by all in Pembrokeshire as 'us' rather than 'them'. He also drew attention to the fact that the time allocated for general discussion was only 20mins or so and that the valuable opportunity to question many company representatives amongst others should not be wasted. BB responded by agreeing that it was a short time but the format was seen as 'testing the water'. It was always difficult deciding how much time to allocate for such sessions, as there was always a possibility that too few questions would be raised! MA suggested a change of focus by concentrating on a general discussion period and then bringing a special topic in if there was time. SAT added that the core of the meeting was the updates from both Groups. This was actually a requirement of the RAG in order to provide information to the public.
SB explained that the SAC update part of the programme was brief in order to simply give a succinct report on the last year (including changes due to moderation). Input from Interest Group representatives was welcomed as long as it was brief. Further comments could be raised during questions and a longer general discussion session. After some debate it was agreed that Interest Group representatives would all be introduced during the course of the SAC update which would allow interested individuals to make contact during the coffee interval and perhaps afterwards.
JP asked if the idea of a joint meeting between the SAC and PCF was seen to be a regular annual event. SAT replied that it would depend on how the Groups were to evolve - we would have to wait and see. ST reminded members of the differences between the Groups (for example the SAC being bound by legislation). JP agreed that the meeting - at this early stage in the development of BOTH Groups - would benefit from being held jointly, but perhaps this could change as the Groups moved further toward their goals.
There was little discussion on the 'topic presentation' as confirmation was being awaited by the Environment Agency Wales as to whether the 'topic' (an unnamed local development proposal) was a possibility. PV commented that the Environment Agency Wales saw the forthcoming meeting as an excellent opportunity to publicly consult on a potentially controversial project.
(Note added since the meeting: The development proposal is no longer an option for the PCF/SAC public meeting. Further discussion with PCF led to a modified programme for the meeting which will be circulated with the minutes)
In summary, members agreed with the idea of a joint meeting for 2001 and asked that more time be allocated for general discussion. Introductions would be made to all representatives. SB agreed to take these views back to the PCF. SB requested that members inform her beforehand if they required some 'floor' time - this would help in the design of the SAC presentation and timekeeping. ACTION: all representatives
6. Other business
Pembrokeshire Afloat: JO has written a draft environmental code of practice on behalf of the group of commercial operators involved in Pembrokeshire Afloat. Copies were to have been made available to members at the meeting, but there had been some confusion over whether JO or Charles Matheison (PCNPA) would make them available. JH indicated that she would pass her copy to SB so that it could be circulated with the minutes. ACTION: SB
Representatives were asked to review the code of conduct and pass any comments on it to JO via SB.
ACTION: all representatives
RAG Chairman: ST announced that he would shortly be leaving Pembrokeshire County Council and as such would no longer be in a position to chair the SAC Relevant Authorities Group. Stephen Hurr (Development Plans Officer) would replace ST on the RAG. The Group had yet to make a formal decision on who would now chair the RAG. The County Council would not presume to continue in that role, although was prepared to do so if that was the wish of the Group. ST added that he had enjoyed working within the Group and wished it - and individual representatives - every success in the future. IW - on behalf of the members - thanked SAT for his chairmanship and wished him happiness in his future endeavours.
Fisheries Representatives: IW suggested that a more appropriate fisheries representative may be recruited from the emerging Pembrokeshire Fisherman's Association, and that SB should perhaps contact David Gardner (Project Leader - Fisheries, Pembrokeshire County Council). SB indicated that she was aware of the possible emergence but had heard nothing definite since. She agreed to get in touch with David Gardner as soon as possible in order to discuss the most effective way forward for fishermen to be best represented with regard to the SAC. ACTION: SB
7. Date and venue of next meeting
The date of the next meeting of the Liaison Forum will be decided after the Public Meeting.
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