25/07/2024
Good evening Members, tonight we have some information for release that we have been sitting on for a good while now whilst CPBC and CITC struggle with what to do about their joint neglect of our Lake.
In 1998 the then Labour controlled Council of which I was a part, as was Mr Blackwell, we registered Canvey Lake as a Nature Reserve with Natural England. This was done to ensure the Lake would always be maintained to a good standard and to allow improvement. All went well until 2010 when CPBC gave the Lake via a Lease to CITC to maintain. Never once in the Lease document was the fact that it was registered as a Nature Reserve mentioned, which is very strange, but it is obvious now why, because CPBC failed to realise this was the case and CITC signed it without that knowledge.
Now when an area is registered as a LNR (Local Nature Reserve) it comes with conditions that the area or in our case The Lake is maintained at the very least to keep it in the condition it was when the registration was signed. Failure to do so brings penalties and it is obvious from the state the Lake it is now in, those conditions have not been met. On top of this we have been hearing from our Councillors, the MAG group and our Officers, that they intend to "Turn it into a nature Reserve", so that the Lake becomes obsolete.
Problem is Natural England are hardly likely to allow CPBC to register any area as a LNR with the condition the Lake has been allowed to deteriorate into.
So on behalf of the Friends of Canvey Lake I have made a formal complaint which has been recognised and I am waiting to hear the result.
Just for your information Natural England are part of DEFRA, as are the Environment Agency who we also have an official complaint against, which is currently being investigate with our answer due on or before 8th August.
Natural England always respond to complaints from individuals so I am asking all members who feel strongly to email Natural England at [email protected] and register their individual complaint.
Further information, for those who know who they are, is that Natural England have teeth. They have already ordered two restorations so far and people have been charged for causing the problem. We are a long way from that yet, but it appears that registering THE LAKE as a nature Reserve in 1998 is proving to be a very very good move in our fight to get this problem sorted, and maybe even some prosecutions for this blatant neglection of the Lake.
Natural England's task is as stated below, I think that this is sadly lacking where Canvey Lake is concerned.
Natural England are here to secure a healthy natural environment for people to enjoy, where wildlife is protected and England's traditional landscapes are safeguarded for future generations.
