Red Alert

RED ALERT!

Surfers Against Sewage – Standing up for your rights (and lefts)

The Government's Red Tape Challenge threatens UK Oceans, Waves and Beaches

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The Government is currently proposing a retreat from coastal and marine protection with a consultation to abolish much of the legislation currently in place to protect our already threatened and damaged coastline – our waves, oceans and beaches.

As you may know, there is only limited existing legislation to protect our unique coastline, much of which will be weakened or abolished altogether through the Government's Red Tape Challenge. This exercise seems to be putting developers ahead of the environment, which may not be a surprise given the Chancellor last autumn attacked green policies as a "burden" and a "ridiculous cost". Given the already fragile nature of our coastal environment and notable lack of any specific legislation to protect waves important to communities, SAS is alarmed at the catastrophic damage this could lead to on our coastline.

SAS questions how removing regulations can improve environmental protection. The Government suggests reducing legislation would help to increase the number of activities exempt from a marine license but these exist to control activities on the coast, ensuring they don’t adversely affect the environment or other coastal stakeholders including YOU.

For more information please visit the Red Tape Challenge website.

Our specific concerns include water quality, which is already severely impacted by combined sewer overflows at many surf spots, dredging activities that could affect beaches used for recreation, development progressing without proper recognition of surfing resources, coastal defences damaging beaches, access restrictions to the coastline and other potential coastal pollution arising from weakened legislation.

SAS frequently cite the Bathing Water Directive, Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, the Marine and Coastal Access Act and the Environment Act when challenging polluters and developers. Legislation is one of the most powerful tools in protecting our surf spots. Without them the coast could become an unregulated zone, over-exploited by developers and increasingly polluted.

 

Relying on voluntary compliance, or the 'Big Society' model to protect the coast is a big mistake.

Let's stand up for our rights (and lefts) together.

Thanks for your support.

Team SAS

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