Still time to give your views on the Clean Dee consultation

The Clean Dee consultation, which sees Cheshire West and Chester Council working with local groups and other key stakeholders, is still open for people to give their views.

Responding to increasing local concerns about river cleanliness, the Council set up a cross-party task group of councillors to investigate this issue and they recommended that the Council should look into the feasibility of applying to designate part of the river as a bathing water.

The Council is carrying out the public consultation to explore the views of all stakeholders - local residents, community and sports groups, visitors and businesses – who are asked to give their views on what the river means to them and how they use it.

For the remainder of August officers will be working alongside local groups organising pop-up stands to coincide with key events, like the Dee Mile swimming race and Chester Pride, to promote the survey and ask people to take part.

This six-week consultation will inform a decision on the feasibility of submitting an application to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for a part of the river to be designated as a bathing water.

Designated bathing water status refers to the designation of a beach or inland water as a bathing water so that information on water quality is provided to bathers and their health can be protected.

Bathing water designation does not mean the water meets bathing water quality standards or that the water is safe for bathers, but it can be the first step to ensure action is taken to improve water quality through requirements to test regularly, identify the sources of pollution and to recommend improvement measures.

Although there are several sites where people bathe, it is only Sandy Lane, upstream from the river ferry, that potentially fits the published criteria.  However, there are no plans for development and no plans to increase the number of bathers.

The Council’s Cabinet Member for Homes, Planning and Safer Communities, Councillor Christine Warner said:

“There is still time to give your views in our survey and we would like as many people as possible to get involved”.

“Improved water quality would, of course, benefit not only bathers but also a wide range of other leisure and sports users, including paddlers, paddleboarders, canoeists, rowers, leisure boat users and local businesses as well as the environment and wildlife.”

You can find more information and take part in the survey here (cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/CleanDee)

In addition to the online survey, respondents can give their views in other ways:

• By telephone on 01244 973708
• Email at: regulatoryservices@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
• Post: Public Protection Service, The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0BA)

The consultation will close on 31 August 2023.

Once all the required information, including consultation responses, has been collected, the Council will consider the results and then make a decision on the feasibility of an application.  

The results of the consultation will be published on the Council website.

Any application must be submitted by 31 October.