A £750,000 project designed to restore parts of the natural Tees Estuary and make way for new wildlife habitats is now underway.

The Ormesby Beck Intertidal Restoration Scheme aims to open the Ormesby Beck and Marton West Beck catchments of the River Tees to allow fish to pass while also restoring its natural tidal cycle and vital wildlife habitats.

The Tees Estuary is one of the most heavily modified and developed estuaries in the UK with less than 10% of the original habitats for wildlife such as wading birds remaining.  Ormesby Beck is an urban river that flows through Middlesbrough to the River Tees.

As part of the first phase of the Ormesby Beck Intertidal Restoration Scheme, which will complete in December, the Environment Agency will remove the North Ormesby Tidal Barrage and Navigation Screen, constructed in 1995, to allow the channel to flow as it naturally should, creating a better environment for wildlife to thrive along the river again.

Work is underway on site with Environment Agency contractors, BAM Nuttall, aiming to fully remove the tidal barrage and screen by the end of December 2022.

Joe Reed, Project Manager for the Environment Agency said:

“In many of our estuaries, rising sea levels caused by climate change are threatening tidal habitats. Removing barriers, like here at Ormesby Beck, mitigates some of this loss by allowing the estuary to expand and preserve its natural environment.  This will create the correct conditions for wildlife to thrive, without increasing risk to life or property from flooding.”

Extension notices are being issued shortly to tell providers that Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme (HPCDS) contracts will be extended.

Why is this happening?

We are extending contracts to allow us to put in place new contracts to deliver the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service. This is the replacement service for HPCDS.

This needs to happen now because HPCDS services are currently being delivered through contingency contracts which were extended from 1 October 2022 to 29 April 2023.

These arrangements, which maintain the 2013 Standard Civil Contract exclusive schedule arrangements, will now be extended further to 31 October 2023.

Extension timescales

All existing HPCDS providers will be offered an extension of their current contract running to 31 October 2023. This includes a break clause which can be exercised in July 2023.

What do I need to do?

We will be writing to all current HPCDS contract providers to confirm our intentions and formally issue extension offers in the next few days.

Providers will need to sign into the contract extension, or where they do not wish to do so, confirm this to the LAA by the date set out in their letter.

Further information

Standard Civil Contract (Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme) 2013 – 2013 civil contract (HPCDS) documents are available on GOV.UK

Housing Legal Aid: the way forward – to view the consultation and consultation response on GOV.UK

On 16 November 2022, the Environment Agency issued an environmental permit variation to add a mechanical sorting and an energy recovery facility to an existing permitted site off Langhurstwood Road, Horsham, which is operated by Britaniacrest Recycling Limited. This decision follows public consultation between 13 May 2021 and 26 June 2022. Having reviewed the responses, the Environment Agency has approved the application.

Michael Turner, area environment manager for the Environment Agency, said:

In deciding whether to issue this permit variation, the Environment Agency considered all relevant factors and legal requirements. The environmental permit sets out stringent conditions for Britaniacrest Recycling Limited. We are satisfied that the appropriate measures are in place to operate the energy recovery facility without causing harm to the environment or human health.

All the comments received during the public consultations have been incorporated into a final decision document.  Further information, including a copy of the permit variation decision document and the permit variation, is available: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rh12-4qd-britaniacrest-recycling-limited-environmental-permit-issued-eprcb3308tdv002.

The conditions of the permit variation for Britaniacrest Recycling Limited are:

• Pre-operational conditions detailing the final design of the installation, to protect air quality, groundwater and surface water and to ensure the safe storage, management and disposal of wastes.
• To minimise the risk of accidents, noise and odour.
• Maximise energy efficiency.

The Environment Agency regulates the performance of energy from waste facilities in the following ways:

• Issues permits which say how the facility must be operated, the monitoring that must be done and the limits it must meet.
• Carries out regular inspections and audits.
• Requires operators to monitor key emissions using appropriate monitoring standards and to report the results to the Environment Agency.
• Regularly reviews monitoring techniques and assess monitoring results to measure the performance of the facility and check that it is not exceeding permitted limits.
• If it identifies that an energy from waste facility breaches any of its permit conditions, we will take the appropriate enforcement action. This may be a warning for minor breaches or enforcement notices to rectify the situation and even prosecution for more serious offences.
• It puts all the operator’s monitoring reports and records of inspections and audits on the public register.

Please contact Horsham District Council for any enquiries regarding the planning process.

For general information about the Environment Agency’s permitting process please visit: www.gov.uk/topic/environmental-management/environmental-permits

The Prime Minister met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the G20 Summit in Indonesia today.

The leaders welcomed the opportunity to meet in person this week and build on the thriving UK-Australia relationship.

They underlined the importance of the AUKUS partnership for boosting regional security and harnessing the power of our shared values.

The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Albanese agreed to build on our defence and security relationship, with the Prime Minister stressing the importance of the Indo-Pacific region to the UK.

The leaders looked forward to the implementation of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement and to maximising the opportunities it offers for both of our countries. The Prime Minister also thanked Prime Minister Albanese for his support for the UK’s accession to the CPTPP trading bloc.

The leaders looked forward to expanding the work they do in areas like tackling climate change, both bilaterally and through partnerships with small island developing states.