Have your say on public consultation

21 Jan 2020 11:42 AM

Members of the public are invited to have their say on a permit application to place fish barriers across the entrances to Hoveton Great Broad in Norfolk as part of a restoration project.

The Natural England-led project aims to restore Hoveton Great Broad and Hudson’s Bay to a clear water, wildlife rich state by using natural restoration techniques.

The Environment Agency has launched a public consultation yesterday (20 January) on a flood risk activity permit application from Natural England, which is required to install the permeable fish barriers.

For the Broad to return to clear water, the amount of algae needs to be reduced.

The project proposes to remove the majority of fish from the broad (a technique known as biomanipulation), which will allow water fleas to thrive, who will then feed on the algae, thereby cleaning the water.

The barriers will be in place for up to 10 years, preventing the fish from entering the Broad while the ecology recovers.

Recent evidence suggests that the broad is well used by adult bream and roach, so the Environment Agency is seeking views on the significance of this exclusion, and how this compares to the expected environmental improvement of the broads.

Natural England has submitted evidence, which indicates that no change in flood risk is expected from using these barriers.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We are keen to hear from anyone who wants to have their say on this proposal before we make our decision.”

All application documents, including a flood risk assessment, will be available to view as part of the consultation. The consultation is open for 20 days from today (20 January).