News

An open letter from Sandgate Parish Council to:

• Keep Britain Tidy
• The Environment Agency
• Southern Water
• Folkestone & Hythe District Council and
• Neighbouring coastal Town and Parish Councils

Sandgate has been proud to receive the Seaside Award for the last ten years. In 2023, just 128 beaches in England won the Award, with only 24 in the South-East region. Keep Britain Tidy’s Seaside Award is the nationwide standard for the best beaches across the UK and it celebrates the quality and diversity of England’s coastline. The flag is a symbol of quality which ensures visitors are guaranteed to find a clean, safe, attractive, and well-managed coastal stretch.

Sandgate Parish Council has reluctantly decided not to apply for the award this year due to our concerns about the quality of the bathing water after heavy rain and stormy conditions.

The information on water quality for the Seaside Award comes from Environment Agency (EA) data and the sampling point for Sandgate is at Seabrook Point – a mile west from where people in Sandgate tend to swim, which is by Granville Parade. The EA test point at Seabrook Point is 50 metres to the west of a sewage outfall pipe. The prevailing current in this area runs west to east and testing therefore fails to pick up pollutants which are dissipated in an easterly direction towards Sandgate and Folkestone. Testing at this point has shown an excellent rating for the last 4 years for the prescribed Sandgate Beach area.

There is a Southern Water sewage outfall pipe located at the western end of Granville Parade (some 100-150 metres out to sea, depending on the tide), as well as the Enbrook Stream storm overflow and the Enbrook Stream outfall pipes on the beach. The popularity of Granville Parade as a swimming location has increased with the introduction of a sea sauna at the Rowing Club. The popularity of sea swimming has also increased considerably over recent years.  

Because of concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the data published by the EA and Southern Water, the Parish Council decided in September 2023 to use an established independent testing laboratory to provide sea water testing kits to test the water at Granville Parade. Sea water testing was undertaken on twelve occasions between October 2023 and January 2024.

From the results of these tests, and data from Surfers Against Sewage, the Parish Council concludes that generally the quality of the sea water under normal weather conditions is good and, sometimes, excellent. However, the testing did show very high levels of contaminates on one occasion after heavy rain.

Based on this information, the Parish Council took the view that it would be inappropriate for us to apply for the Seaside Award. We have decided that we should reach out to other coastal parishes and district councils to explore best practice during the period that water companies have to ensure their infrastructure is fit for purpose (2050).

We have the following three recommendations arising from our sea water testing:

1. The Environment Agency’s sampling point for Sandgate should be at Granville Parade as this is where most people swim;
2. Southern Water should update their wastewater handling so it no longer requires discharge of sewage to sea at Granville Parade (and elsewhere). In the interim, the sewage outfall pipe at Granville Parade should be extended further out to sea by Southern Water to help keep sewage spillage away from the bathing area and beach. (For example, the outlet pipe from the Hythe sewage treatment works extends 4km out to sea); and
3. As a Parish Council, we should issue advice to sea users on best practice so that they may enjoy the sea in a safe manner. Information should be provided by the Parish Council and others to advise people to be cautious about the quality of the beach and the sea water for up to 48 hours after heavy rain and stormy conditions, with a link given to check the water quality (e.g. Surfers Against Sewage www.sas.org.uk).

A more detailed report with the results of the seawater testing is available on Sandgate Parish Council’s website (https://sandgatepc.org.uk/2024/03/12/sandgate-beach-sea-water-bathing-quality-testing-report-2024/)

Signed by

Tim Prater, Chair of Sandgate Parish Council and Susan Claris, Chair of the Environment Committee, Sandgate Parish Council

***

Seaside Award Water Quality Criteria: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/the-seaside-awards

• The beach must fully comply with the water quality sampling and frequency requirements

• The beach must fully comply with the standards and requirements for water quality analysis

• No industrial, waste-water or sewage-related discharges should affect the beach area

• At designated bathing waters from 2016 the water quality should be graded as ‘sufficient’ as set out in the Bathing Water Directive. (In 2015, bathing beaches should of mandatory standard.)

Sandgate Parish Council Environment Committee: Carbon Action Plan (March 2024)

The purpose of this document is to outline a Carbon Plan for the Parish of Sandgate. It follows the Carbon Literacy Course that Susan Claris attended on 4 December 2023 as part of the Parish and Town Councils Climate Action Day, in partnership with KALC. Susan was awarded a Carbon Literate Certificate on 10 January 2024. It also relates to Action 24: Carbon of the Environment Committee’s action plan which is our aim for Sandgate Parish Council to be a carbon neutral council.

The Carbon Plan is below. More information on how this was developed can be found in the Supporting Information that follows.

Carbon Plans should only include things that are proven, investible and readily available. The following change targets are accordingly selected for the Parish of Sandgate.

1. Reduce energy demand from all buildings, including heritage assets – introduce solar panels on Council buildings where possible. This is being progressed on The Boat House.
2. Reduce private car travel/increase public transport and active transport – seek to improve the walking, wheeling and cycling environment in Sandgate and reduce the dominance of the private car. This being progressed by trying to introduce a 20mph zone in the village, improving walking (e.g. a pedestrian refuge island at the bottom of Military Road) and improved cycle parking (e.g. introduction of cycle parking stands on the Village Green)
3. New buildings to be net zero or net positive – this can be supported in our comments to the District Council on planning applications
4. Consumption patterns – buy less, re-use/repair more – support for Sandgate Environmental Action initiatives, such as the pre-loved clothes sale
5. Promote awareness of altering dietary patterns and reducing food waste – support for Sandgate Community Garden
6. Land management practices – improve green spaces and promote biodiversity – actions such as wildflower seed sowing in Sandgate Park
7. Carbon storage – seek to plant more trees where we can in our parks and green spaces

This plan and the actions should help the village reduce its carbon footprint and help Parish Councillors talk to others about the climate crisis and our impact.

This Carbon Plan was adopted by Sandgate Parish Council at a meeting on 25 March 2024.

SUPPORTING INFORMATION

Evidence Report

In her Evidence Report (submitted following the Carbon Literacy course), Susan outlined her views on the most important changes that we need to make as a society to reach zero carbon as follows:

As a society we need to appreciate the scale and the urgency of the climate crisis and we all need to make changes in the way we live:

• in our homes – the energy we use and where it comes from
• how we travel – both everyday and for leisure/holidays, with more walking, cycling and public transport use, whilst reducing car ownership and use and flying less
• our diet – adopting a more plant-based diet and eating local food
• our habits – for example, reducing how much we buy, reducing our waste etc.

We need Government at national and local level to create the policies and legislative framework to facilitate and support the changes we need to make. We need to fully realise the global impacts of inaction, and that we won’t be affected equally – we have a duty of care towards those who will be impacted the greatest, particularly as these people will have contributed least to the problem.

We need to talk about the climate crisis in ways that people can understand and relate to. Talking about the global climate crisis and 420 atmospheric CO2 in parts per million may engage some, but not many. If, however, we talk to people in Sandgate about extreme weather events including storms, surface water flooding, high temperatures and drought, these are all things that people have recently experienced and can relate to. Similarly, in terms of talking about the actions that people can take, discussing the co-benefits can also be persuasive – for example, the cost savings that people can make from energy reduction. The messaging about the changes we need to make as a society to reach zero carbon needs be tailored to the local audience, and the Parish Council can help to do this.

The Evidence Report required Susan to commit to an individual action and a group action and her words on these are below. The new action relates directly to this Action Plan and the Group Action supports this, focusing on one aspect.

INDIVIDUAL ACTION

I am committing to preparing an Action Plan for Sandgate Parish Council to help the village reduce its carbon footprint and to help myself and the other Parish Councillors to talk to others about climate change and our impact. The Parish Council’s own carbon footprint is relatively low (as we use the local library for office space and meetings), so our local leadership outward facing role is our greatest opportunity to bring about change. The Action Plan will be structured around the various actions that can be taken by local councils and the various levers of influence (direct and indirect) for implementing these. This will help to identify actions and can also be used for monitoring purposes in terms of progress in implementing actions.

In terms of consumption, based on the information from the IMPACT tool, per household consumption emissions in Sandgate are 13t CO2e, with total consumption emissions of 30,796t CO2e (2,370 households). The largest sectors are consumption of goods and services (44%), followed by food and diet (27%) and travel (22%) – so these three sectors (which account for 93%) are the keys ones to focus on.

Greenhouse gases this will reduce: The Action Plan will be aimed at reducing consumption, so the greenhouse gases it will reduce are carbon dioxide and methane. In terms of the estimate of medium, changing behaviours is of course challenging, but if we could get 10% of the village households (237 households) to reduce their carbon footprint by 10% (from 13 to 11.7t CO2e), that would be an annual saving of just over 300 CO2e (237 households x 1.3t CO2e).

How

• Helping people to reduce their consumption of goods and services, for example, buying pre-loved clothes, having a tool library etc.
• Some changes to diet – to increase the proportion of plant-based food and reduce consumption of red meat, particularly imported beef and lamb.
• Altering travel patterns to have more active travel (walking, wheeling and cycling) and less use of cars, particularly for short journeys in the village.

Significance: If we can encourage people to talk to their friends and neighbours about their behaviours and the benefits that can come from making changes, then the scale of change – and the impact on carbon emissions – can start to grow to become significant.

GROUP ACTION

My expertise is as a transport planner, and I want to commit to working with others who have the responsibility for the highway network in the village (the County Council) to improve conditions for walking, wheeling and cycling in the village, so that active travel becomes the more attractive choice for local journeys. This would help to reduce car journeys – and 22% of the village’s consumption carbon footprint comes from travel.

Doing this with: Primarily the Highways Department at Kent County Council, but it could also involve the Planning Department at Folkestone and Hythe District Council. The District Council also has responsibility for the car parks in the village.

My specific role: To suggest improvements for walking, wheeling and cycling in the village, such as more pedestrian refuge islands to help people cross the road, footway improvements, cycle parking, seating etc. These measures will be outlined in the village’s Highway Improvement Plan, for when funding is available from the County Council. Funding may also become available through the Community Infrastructure Levy or through Section 106 agreements when there is new development.

Greenhouse gases this will reduce: Travel emissions in Sandgate are 6,683t CO2e (total) or 2.8t CO2e per household – half of these come from private transport (3,325t CO2e total). Achieving a modal shift of 5% would result in a reduction of 166t CO2e. The reduction would be in carbon dioxide.

How: this could be achieved by both improving measures for walking, wheeling and cycling, and managing parking to deter short trips. Information about the health benefits of active travel (and the carbon emissions resulting from short car journeys, as well as the cost to the motorist) could help to reinforce the message.

Significance: Once some people start to walk, wheel and cycle, this tends to encourage others to do likewise – so the benefits spread and can start to become significant. Also, having fewer people drive, makes the environment better for active travel, creating a virtuous cycle.

ACTION PLANNING FOR THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY

As noted above, the Action Plan is structured around the various actions that can be taken by local councils and the various levers of influence (direct and indirect) for implementing these, as outlined on the Carbon Literacy Course. The Levers of Influence are as follows:

• Direct control: own buildings, operations, travel, investments, pensions
• Procurement/commissioning: all services and goods brought in
• Placemaking: using powers to control how and where development occurs
• Convening: bringing people together, supporting partnerships, co-ordinating efforts by others
• Showcasing: demonstrating, promoting and rewarding good practice, social norming
• Engaging: translating a global issue for local resonance, inspiring action, providing civic leadership

The 13 suggested Change Targets are as follows:

1. Reduce energy demand from all buildings, including heritage assets
2. Smarter smoother energy demand
3. Decarbonise power generation
4. Decarbonise heat delivery
5. Reduce private car travel/increase public transport and active transport
6. Shift to electrified travel
7. Reduce air travel
8. New buildings to be net zero or net positive
9. Consumption patterns – buy less, re-use/repair more
10. Increase recycling
11. Alter dietary patterns and reduce food waste
12. Land management practices – improve green spaces and promote biodiversity
13. Carbon storage – plant more trees

A Carbon Action Plan should only include things that are proven, investible and readily available. The following change targets are accordingly selected for the Parish of Sandgate.

• Reduce energy demand from all buildings, including heritage assets – introduce solar panels on Council buildings where possible. This is being progressed on The Boat House.    
• Reduce private car travel/increase public transport and active transport – seek to improve the walking, wheeling and cycling environment in Sandgate and reduce the dominance of the private car. This being progressed by trying to introduce a 20mph zone in the village, improving walking (e.g. a pedestrian refuge island at the bottom of Military Road) and improved cycle parking (e.g. introduction of cycle parking stands on the Village Green)
• New buildings to be net zero or net positive – this can be supported in our comments to the District Council on planning applications
• Consumption patterns – buy less, re-use/repair more – support for Sandgate Environmental Action initiatives, such as the pre-loved clothes sale
• Promote awareness of altering dietary patterns and reducing food waste – support for Sandgate Community Garden
• Land management practices – improve green spaces and promote biodiversity – actions such as wildflower seed sowing in Sandgate Park
• Carbon storage – seek to plant more trees where we can in our parks and green spaces

Susan Claris, Chair of Environment Committee, March 2024

Because of concerns about the accuracy (and therefore reliability) of the data published by the EA and Southern Water on water quality for Sandgate beach at Granville Parade, the Parish Council decided in September 2023 to use an established independent testing laboratory to provide sea water testing kits to test the water at Granville Parade. Sea water testing was undertaken on twelve occasions between October 2023 and January 2024.

From the results of these tests and data from Surfers Against Sewage, the Parish Council concludes that generally the quality of the sea water under normal weather conditions is good and, sometimes, excellent. However, the testing did show high levels of contaminates on one occasion after heavy rain.

Based on this information, the Parish Council took the view that it would be inappropriate for us to apply for the Seaside Award 2024.

We also felt that it was important to publish our report, with the water testing results, in full as soon as possible. The report is available here.

This report was considered and agreed by the Environment Committee on 11th March. It will will go to Full Council on 25th March to agree the wording on an open letter to Keep Britain Tidy (who organise the Seaside Award), Environment Agency, Southern Water, Folkestone & Hythe District Council and neighbouring coastal Town and Parish Councils.