Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove has appointed two new members to the Natural Capital Committee.

Professors Melanie Austen and Chris Collins bring their expertise in marine conservation and soil health and are appointed for the remainder of the Committee’s current term, through to December 2020.

Professor Austen said:

The Natural Capital Committee has been influential in advising government on the importance of natural capital on sustainable economic growth, health and wellbeing.

I feel honoured to have been invited to join the Committee and am particularly looking forward to adding a distinctly marine perspective, and considering how implementation of the 25 year Environment Plan could improve our natural marine environment and the sustainable benefits that we gain from it.

Professor Austen is a marine ecologist and interdisciplinary marine researcher who is a Head of Science for the Sea and Society group at Plymouth Marine Laboratory. She has recently been appointed as an independent member of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC); completed a three year term as the Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK’s Marine Management Organisation (MMO); and for the last twenty years has been developing and leading UK and EU funded collaborative marine research projects, including currently GCRF Blue Communities in South East Asia.

Through her interdisciplinary research she has examined and quantified the societal consequences and policy relevance of changes to the marine environment and its ecosystems. She has been an Honorary Professor at the University of Exeter medical school since 2014, a member of other Expert Advisory Groups, and has chaired an EU Marine Board expert group on ecosystem valuation.

Professor Chris Collins is Chair of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Reading, where his research focuses on determining the factors controlling exposure of biota to environmental pollution to develop the evidence base for regulators.

He is the Natural Environment Research Council Soils Coordinator, overseeing a £10 million research investment to improve our understanding of how soils resist, recover and adapt to land use and climate change. Professor Collins chairs the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee providing expert advice to the UK Government on how to protect the environment, and human health via the environment from chemicals.

Professor Collins said:

Soils have been a bit of a Cinderella topic when compared to air and water, so to restate the commitment to manage soils sustainably by 2030 in the 25 Year Environment Plan was a major step forward. Serving on the Committee will help to ensure we develop the approaches to deliver this aspiration.

Professor Dieter Helm, Chair of the Natural Capital Committee, commented:

Melanie and Chris bring world-leading expertise. They will strengthen the Committee’s ability to support implementation of the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan at a vital time for the protection and enhancement of our natural environment.

Other members of the Committee include Professors Ian Bateman, Diane Coyle, Paul Leinster, Colin Mayer and Kathy Willis. Dame Georgina Mace recently left the Committee to take up a position on the Adaptation Sub Committee of the Committee on Climate Change.

The Environment Agency has released further details for three sections of its £45m York Flood Alleviation Scheme and is holding a public drop-in to give information and get feedback on proposals.

As well as the work the Environment Agency is doing on the Clementhorpe, New Walk and North Street sections of the £45m York Flood Alleviation Scheme, and the River Foss catchment, the Agency is developing plans for the sections that run from York Ring Road at Rawcliffe to Lendal Bridge.

This stretch is split into three sections: the ring road to Clifton Bridge; then to Scarborough Bridge; and then to Lendal Bridge.

Clifton Bridge to Scarborough Bridge

Environment Agency project manager for the work, Richard Lever, said:

The middle section of the three, Clifton Bridge to Scarborough Bridge, will be the area we will progress flood defence works first.

We are holding a drop-in so the public can view plans and give feedback on the proposals that will better protect 150 properties, the majority of which are on Almery Terrace, Sycamore Terrace, Longfield Terrace and Bootham Terrace.

Options include raising the existing flood wall at Almery Terrace and the embankment at the back of the schools’ playing fields, as well as extending the embankment.

Plans also include upgrading the pumping capacity at Burdyke pumping station, which is situated in the middle of the open area between the two bridges. The dike is culverted from near Clifton Backies to where it enters the Ouse.

The drop in will take place at the Environment Agency’s community hub on Wellington Row from 12-7pm on Wednesday (20 June).

The proposals will remain on display for a further four weeks for members of the public to provide feedback.

Ring Road to Clifton Bridge

Mr Lever said:

The section from the ring road to Clifton Bridge will be a major part of the project, better protecting 140 homes, and include raising the embankment and increasing the embankment length towards the Park & Ride, and to behind the Homestead and the YHA.

We are also investigating building a pumping station on Blue Beck, which runs into the Ouse.

We recognise that Clifton Ings and Rawcliffe Meadows are a widely used and much loved public amenity, as well as being a Site of Special Scientific Interest and includes important grasslands, the tansy beetle, bats and newts.

We are currently involved in discussions with key partners, including Natural England, Sustrans and Friends of Rawcliffe Meadows, in how we can minimise the impact on the habitat, cause the least inconvenience while work is being undertaken and maintain amenities when work is complete.

Dependent on these discussions, we are aiming to submit the planning permission for this section before the end of the year.

Scarborough Bridge to Lendal Bridge

Mr Lever said:

For the Scarborough Bridge to Lendal Bridge section we are working with partners, including Historic England, on options for flood defence improvements in Museum Gardens, which help better protect homes in the Marygate area.

This includes raising the current embankment at the bottom of Museum Gardens or looking at a flood wall running up the Marygate side of the gardens.

We are also investigating the best way to raise and improve the flood gate at the bottom of Marygate.

The Environment Agency publish permits and surrenders that they issue under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).

This decision includes the permit, decision document and site condition report evaluation template for:

• Operator name: Controlled Reclamation (Oxford) Limited
• Installation name: Dix Pit Aggregate Recycling Facility
• Permit number: EPR/FB3430DD/S005 and EPR/FB3430DD/V006

The Environment Agency publish permits that they issue under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).

This decision includes the permit and decision document

• Operator name: Baird & Co. Limited
• Installation name: Gemini Business Park Precious Metal Refinery
• Permit number: EPR/CP3633KN/V003

If you’ve received a grant under the Countryside Productivity Small Grant (CPSG) scheme, you may find that a small number of livestock handling items are in short supply. These are:

• SG1 – mobile cattle handling system
• SG2 – fixed cattle handling system
• SG5 – cattle squeeze crush
• SG27 – mobile sheep handling system
• SG28 – fixed sheep handling system

The CPSG scheme rules state that grant recipients have 150 days from the date of their Grant Funding Agreement (GFA) to purchase, take delivery and pay for the grant funded equipment and submit the grant claim. The 150 day date is shown in your GFA.

However, we have amended the rules for these items in short supply for the first round of CPSG 2018. If you are unable get the items shown above, this will help you to submit your grant claim within the 150 day period.

You can choose one of the following options:

1. Withdraw from your Round 1 GFA. You will not be able to claim grant on any items if you have already purchased them. You can reapply in the autumn of this year for Round 2.
2. Continue to purchase the items that you have a grant offer for. You will need to:

• order, pay in full for, take delivery of and install all other items included in your GFA before the end of the 150 day period * Bullet 2
• order and pay in full for the livestock handling items at your own risk before the end of the150 day period
• submit your grant claim before the end of the 150 day period shown in your GFA and tell us the expected delivery date for the livestock handling items
• take delivery of the livestock handling items and send RPA proof these have been delivered to your farm, such as a delivery note, by 29 March 2019.
  RPA will then process your grant claim.

3. Keep to the terms of your original agreement. This means all items must be bought, installed and working within 150 days

If you have already withdrawn from your GFA due to the short supply of the items shown above, and you want to take up option 2 above, you can ask RPA to reinstate your GFA, by completing the template that has been emailed to you. If you withdraw, at any time, from Round 1, you will be able to reapply under Round 2. Details of Round 2 will be available on GOV.UK in the autumn.