STOP PRESS! Bowing to pressure from multiple local campaigns, including representations from Solent Protection Society, Southern Water have issued a statement indicating that "water recycling and water transfers are now seen as preferable to desalination". September 30 2021 Our earlier article, below, looked at the Ashlett Creek proposal and put our case against it: Southern … Continue reading SPS Position on Fawley desalination plant

What do we do with the reports on Marine Licence Applications which we publish every month on this website? Every month our council considers these applications and decides whether SPS should respond to the consultation invitation. Often, of course, there is no need for SPS to get involved but sometimes we respond, usually with requests … Continue reading Actions from our Marine Licence Application updates

The following article written by our Chairman, David Sizer, appears in the Autumn edition of 'The Yachter', the house magazine of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club. The Solent Protection Society (SPS) is a registered charity which was established over sixty years ago at the time when controversially, a Nuclear Power Station had been proposed in … Continue reading SPS Article in ‘The Yachter’ – Autumn 2020

The Environment Agency is the environmental regulator for the water industry in England, tasked with oversight of the nine water and sewerage companies that operate in England. On Friday October 2, 2020, the Environment Agency published their long awaited ‘Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA) results 2019 for water and sewerage companies’ document and we are deeply … Continue reading Southern Water – The worst performing water company in the UK

Concerns about disturbance and pollution Worldwide, ports, industry, housing and associated infrastructure have crowded onto estuaries that were previously quiet marshy areas, the preserve of birds, invertebrates and fish; places of peace and beauty. In many cases abroad, the loss of habitat, increased pollution and disturbance has destroyed these valuable environments, requiring major regeneration programmes. … Continue reading Solent European Marine Sites (SEMS)

Our lunchtime speaker in Southampton for March is Jacob Keen–Hammerson, UK Project Co-ordinator for the Blue Marine Foundation. Blue Marine Foundation (BLUE) is a charity dedicated to restoring the ocean to health by addressing overfishing, one of the world’s biggest environmental problems. Globally, an estimated 85% of oyster beds and oyster reef habitats have been lost, … Continue reading March Speaker – Blue Marine Foundation

I can still remember as a young teenager my amazement when told that there were flowering plants living completely submerged in the sea. Our sea grasses or eelgrasses, Zostera spp, form an important inshore plant community in the Solent and surrounding areas. There are 3 eelgrass species in British waters and all are considered vulnerable … Continue reading Seagrass in the Solent