Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are special sites designated under the EU Birds Directive to protect rare, vulnerable and migratory birds.

The proposal for Liverpool Bay / Bae Lerpwl is to extend the SPA to support internationally important populations of:

• common tern
• little tern
• little gull

This area is particularly important for the terns as much of the sea around their breeding colonies is the ideal habitat for plunge diving for food.

The proposal is also to add cormorant and red-breasted merganser to the waterbird assemblage as named species.

The proposal is available as a series of separate documents (attached above). You should:

• read the consultation summary that sets out the aims of the proposal
• read the departmental brief that provides the scientific explanation behind the proposal
• use the maps to locate the proposal site and extension area
• read the separate impact assessment on the Welsh portion of the site (available to read on the Natural Resources Wales website in English and Welsh languages)

To download site boundaries as vector polygons in ESRI ArcMap shapefile or Pitney Bowes MapInfo tab:

• go to Natural England’s GIS Digital Boundary Datasets
• scroll to the bottom of the Dataset Downloads page
• choose option 2
• login as a registered user or
• add personal details as a new user and click on ‘register’
• scroll to the bottom of the ‘Dataset Download Selection’ page
• use the Select Data Type drop down menu and select ‘Special Protection Areas (Marine)’

This will download a zip file which you can open in your mapping software.
Select ‘Liverpool Bay’ from the attribute table.

The South Marine Plan is the second English marine plan to be adopted. It covers an area of around 20,000 square kilometres of inshore and offshore waters across 1,000 kilometres of coast line from Folkestone to the river Dart. It is one of the busiest shipping channels in the world, with significant numbers of freight and passenger transport as well as military activity with almost two thirds of Royal Navy ships stationed at Portsmouth. This intense activity and shipping takes place alongside 60 marine protected areas, including nine marine conservation zones and a UNESCO world heritage site. It is one of the most complex and used areas of the English coast line.

The South Marine Plan will help ensure that the right activities happen in the right place and in the right way within the marine environment. It provides a framework that will shape and inform decisions over how the areas’ waters are developed, protected and improved over the next 20 years.

Through its vision for economic, environmental and social prosperity, the South Marine Plan will safeguard environments such as the UNESCO-recognised Jurassic coast, enable sustainable use of its shipping channels, encourage growth in local sectors such as tourism, and protect and enhance essential natural defences against climate change and flooding. This will be achieved through its 12 objectives, the use of natural capital and supporting local policies, all of which have been developed in partnership with local and national organisations, representatives and users of the area.

The adoption of the South Marine Plan is a significant milestone. Marine planning provides an important way of implementing government’s marine policies at a local level, making ambitions tangible, relevant and achievable, improving the wellbeing of coastal communities and supporting a stronger, more sustainable marine economy.

A preliminary outbreak assessment for avian influenza (H5 and H7 strains) in Europe and an updated outbreak assessment for H5N8 in Europe. These have also been updated to reflect the H5N6 case in the UK (Dorset) in January 2018.

We monitor any major, notifiable or new and emerging animal disease outbreaks worldwide. When we become aware of a new animal disease outbreak in the UK or another country, we may carry out a preliminary outbreak assessment.

Read our avian influenza (bird flu) detailed guidance for information about how to spot the disease, what to do if you suspect it and measures to prevent it.

Details of companies authorised by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles to install workplace chargepoints.

All vehicles that have been approved as ultra-low emission vehicles by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles are eligible for the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme.

This includes vehicles which may no longer be eligible for the plug-in car grant, either because they exceed the category 2 or 3 price cap or they are no longer on sale in the UK.

A list of the vehicles that are eligible for the plug-in car grant.