A more detailed version of this page is available for download here<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Various legal and government guidance frameworks exist, including the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981<\/a>, The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations<\/a> and the National Planning Policy Framework<\/a>. These set out the responsibilities of Local Authorities and agencies, and determine how the beach at Hoylake, officially called Mersey Narrows and North Wirral Foreshore, is managed.<\/p>\nTHE ROLE OF NATURAL ENGLAND<\/strong> For Hoylake beach, Natural England are required to maintain:<\/strong><\/p>\n Key extracts:<\/strong><\/p>\n Section 28H of the Act requires WMBC to:<\/strong><\/p>\n However, and crucially, they said in conclusion: \u201cNatural England also brings to your attention that, as a Section 28G body of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), you are required to take reasonable steps, consistent with the proper exercise of your functions to further the conservation and enhancement of the SSSI.\u201d (defined more clearly by the WCA as \u201cflora, fauna or geological or physiographical features by reason of which the site is of special scientific interest\u201d).<\/p>\nThe dilemma Remember also \u201cManagement… should allow the system to be dynamic and retain the flexibility to respond to associated changes such as the movement of physical features within the system, e.g. migrating subtidal sandbanks.\u201d<\/p>\n Beach management from 2016-2021<\/strong><\/p>\n STATUTORY FRAMEWORKS A more detailed version of this page is available for download here Various legal and government guidance frameworks exist, including the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations and the National Planning Policy Framework. These set out the responsibilities of Local Authorities and agencies, and determine how the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":103,"menu_order":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainablebeach.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/820"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainablebeach.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainablebeach.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablebeach.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablebeach.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=820"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablebeach.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1797,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablebeach.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/820\/revisions\/1797"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablebeach.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainablebeach.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nHoylake enjoys the following international designations which are \u201cnotified\u201d by Natural England in order to protect these sites and to encourage good management and net gains in biodiversity:\n\n
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\n<\/strong>Section 28G of the Wildlife & Countryside Act requires WMBC to: \u201ctake reasonable steps, consistent with the proper exercise of the authority\u2019s functions, to further the conservation and enhancement of the flora, fauna or geological or physiographical features by reason of which the site is of special scientific interest.\u201d\n\n
\n<\/strong>For this agreement, Wirral Council:\n\n
\n<\/strong>\u201cSpraying with Roundup, a glyphosate based weed killer, has been deemed the best option for managing common cord grass at Hoylake beach, as physical removal (excavation of material) may lead to further spread of the species and, as test digging has shown, leaves the rhizome behind. Rotoburying is not possible at this location due to the soft sediment; smothering techniques and grazing are unsuitable at this location due to its use as an amenity beach and burning is not effective.\u201d\n
\n<\/strong>This concluding statement appears to put WMBC between a rock and a hard place, since it is simply not possible to simultaneously achieve the objectives of the Beach Management Agreement which directly result in the ongoing suppression of saltmarsh and dune succession, while satisfying their S28G duties under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to \u201cconserve and enhance\u201d the SSSI; while securing net gains in biodiversity \u2013 a key objective of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).\n\n