§ Mr. GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he plans to allow public consultation before he announces new special areas of conservation; and if he will make a statement. [145449]
§ Mr. MullinFull public consultation and discussion with affected interests on all sites has been and continues to be an important principle for the Government. English Nature has, as part of the consultation process initiated in August 2000, given all landowners and occupiers, local authorities, statutory agencies and relevant bodies with interest in new special areas of conservation the opportunity to comment. At national level, my officials consulted national interest groups and representative bodies.
§ Mr. GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish the guidelines by which he will decide on the location of new special areas of conservation. [145450]
§ Mr. MullinThe Habitats Directive requires that member states nominate Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) that are the best areas to represent the range and variety of the habitats and species identified in Annexes I and II of the Directive. The criteria for the selection of Special Areas of Conservation are set out in Annexe III of the Habitats Directive.
§ Mr. GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the sites he is proposing for new special areas of conservation. [145451]
§ Mr. MullinYes. The Government asked English Nature to consult on the following proposed new special areas of conservation (SACs) in England.
20W
Site name Administrative area Alde, Ore and Butley Estuaries Suffolk Arnecliff and Park Hole Woods North Yorkshire Ashdown Forest East Sussex Aston Rowant Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire Baston Fen Lincolnshire Beast Cliff—Whitby (Robin Hood's Bay) North Yorkshire Bee's Nest and Green Clay Pits Derbyshire Blackstone Point Devon 21W
Site name Administrative area Bolton Fell and Walton Mosses Cumbria Bracket's Coppice Dorset Breney Common and Goss and Tregoss Moors Cornwall Brown Moss Shropshire Butser Hill Hampshire Calf Hill and Cragg Woods Lancashire Cannock Chase Staffordshire Cerne and Sydling Downs Dorset Cumbrian Marsh Fritillary Site Cumbria Dawlish Warren Devon Dew's Ponds Suffolk Dixton Wood Gloucestershire Duncton to Bignor Escarpment West Sussex Durham Coast Durham Emer Bog Hampshire Exmoor and Quantock Oak woods Devon Somerset Fens Pools Dudley Ford Moss Northumberland Hackpen Hill Oxfordshire Hartslock Wood Oxfordshire Hastings Cliffs to Pett Beach East Sussex Hatfield Moor Doncaster Helbeck and Swindale Woods Cumbria Hestercombe House Somerset Humber Estuary City of Kingston upon Hull East Riding of Yorkshire Lincolnshire North East Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire Rennet Valley Alderwoods West Berkshire Kirk Deighton North Yorkshire Little Wittenham Oxfordshire Lyppard Grange Ponds Worcestershire Manchester Mosses Warrington Wigan Mendip Limestone Grasslands North Somerset Somerset Mobberley and Oversley Ponds Cheshire Manchester Nene Washes Cambridgeshire City of Peterborough North Downs Woodlands Kent Medway North York Moors North Yorkshire Redcar and Cleveland Overstrand Cliffs Norfolk Ox Close North Yorkshire Paston Great Barn Norfolk Peter's Pit Kent Phoenix United Mine and Crow's Nest Cornwall Polruan to Polperro Cornwall Quants Somerset Richmond Park Richmond upon Thames River Axe Devon Dorset River Clun Herefordshire Shropshire River Derwent East Riding of Yorkshire North Yorkshire York River Kent Cumbria River Lambourn West Berkshire River Mease Derbyshire Leicestershire Staffordshire River Wensum Norfolk Rixton Clay Pits Warrington Rochdale Canal Rochdale Tameside Roman Wall Loughs Northumberland Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes and Gibraltar Point Lincolnshire Shortheath Common Hampshire Skipwith Common North Yorkshire Solway Moss Cumbria
Site name Administrative area South Pennine Moors Barnsley Bradford Calderdale Cheshire Derbyshire Kirklees Lancashire Leeds North Yorkshire Oldham Rochdale Sheffield Staffordshire Tameside St. Austell Clay Pits Cornwall Stodmarsh Kent Strensall Common York
Site name Administrative area Dee Estuary/Aber Afon Dyfrdwy Cheshire; Fflint/Flintshire; Wirral River Dee and Bala Lake/Afon Dyfrdwy a Llyn Tegid Cheshire; Ddinbych/ Denbighshire; Fflint/ Flintshire; Gwynedd; Shropshire; Wrecsam/ Wrexham River Tweed Northumberland; Scottish Borders Severn Estuary/Mör Hafren Bro Morgannwg/ Vale of Glamorgan; Caerdydd/ Cardiff; Casnewydd/ Newport; City of Bristol; Fynwy/ Monmouthshire; Gloucestershire; North Somerset; Somerset; South Gloucestershire