S Towards Developing Guidelines
53
• Canoeing
• Fishing
• Leisure cruising
• Waterskiing
• Rowing
• Visitors (casual viewers and spectators)
A primary aid in the provision of recreation facilities can be the development of a
recreation and amenity plan. This can serve as a useful source of information for the
developer as it will identify the need for leisure facilities and also conservation areas
that need to be protected. Consultation with interested parties! stakeholders at an 'early
stage is paramount in order to optimise the leisure resource and so those interested
parties may also "own" the plan.
5.6
Conclusion
Estuaries have a high conservation, environmental and amenity value and are also a
very limited natural resource. Barrages have the potential to have a considerable impact on them. It is essential therefore that, when decisions are made, all environmental
costs are fully taken into account. It is also essential that alternative options are fully
considered as a proper evaluation may reveal that they achieve the objectives with lesser
environmental impact. Any barrage proposal will need to thoroughly demonstrate that
it conforms to the principles of sustainable development, namely that the development
will not compromise the needs of future generations. This includes not passing unmanageable or costly liabilities on to those who operate the barrage in future years.
It is vital that all concerned appreciate that the current understanding of the impact
of estuarine barrages and the associated mitigation measures is very poor. Therefore in
some cases there may be a need to apply the precautionary principle with the result
that parts or indeed the whole development are not progressed until the impacts are
fully understood. As briefly discussed in this chapter the guidelines will provide a detailed review of both the issues relating to barrage planning design construction and
maintenance and the environmental policy framework in which the resolution of these
issues is undertaken. These guidelines may form the agenda for clarifying the environmental policy for barrages and thereby establishing an integrated management philosophy. It is hoped that the guidelines will act as a reference for many involved in such
a scheme. This goes some way towards the interdisciplinary training that is required
for an integrated management approach.
Barrage projects like any other large-scale projects in the coastal environment must
take full account of all environmental, social and cultural effects and economic cost
and these should be assessed using the best available technology.
Acknowledgements. It should be noted that this project is still underway and that the
views expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of HR Wallingford, the Department of the Environment or the Environment Agency. The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of the following members of HR staff as follows: Project
manager: Mr. T.N. Burt; concepts, planning and legislation: Mr. I.C. Cruickshank; struc-
53
• Canoeing
• Fishing
• Leisure cruising
• Waterskiing
• Rowing
• Visitors (casual viewers and spectators)
A primary aid in the provision of recreation facilities can be the development of a
recreation and amenity plan. This can serve as a useful source of information for the
developer as it will identify the need for leisure facilities and also conservation areas
that need to be protected. Consultation with interested parties! stakeholders at an 'early
stage is paramount in order to optimise the leisure resource and so those interested
parties may also "own" the plan.
5.6
Conclusion
Estuaries have a high conservation, environmental and amenity value and are also a
very limited natural resource. Barrages have the potential to have a considerable impact on them. It is essential therefore that, when decisions are made, all environmental
costs are fully taken into account. It is also essential that alternative options are fully
considered as a proper evaluation may reveal that they achieve the objectives with lesser
environmental impact. Any barrage proposal will need to thoroughly demonstrate that
it conforms to the principles of sustainable development, namely that the development
will not compromise the needs of future generations. This includes not passing unmanageable or costly liabilities on to those who operate the barrage in future years.
It is vital that all concerned appreciate that the current understanding of the impact
of estuarine barrages and the associated mitigation measures is very poor. Therefore in
some cases there may be a need to apply the precautionary principle with the result
that parts or indeed the whole development are not progressed until the impacts are
fully understood. As briefly discussed in this chapter the guidelines will provide a detailed review of both the issues relating to barrage planning design construction and
maintenance and the environmental policy framework in which the resolution of these
issues is undertaken. These guidelines may form the agenda for clarifying the environmental policy for barrages and thereby establishing an integrated management philosophy. It is hoped that the guidelines will act as a reference for many involved in such
a scheme. This goes some way towards the interdisciplinary training that is required
for an integrated management approach.
Barrage projects like any other large-scale projects in the coastal environment must
take full account of all environmental, social and cultural effects and economic cost
and these should be assessed using the best available technology.
Acknowledgements. It should be noted that this project is still underway and that the
views expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of HR Wallingford, the Department of the Environment or the Environment Agency. The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of the following members of HR staff as follows: Project
manager: Mr. T.N. Burt; concepts, planning and legislation: Mr. I.C. Cruickshank; struc-