The post you are reporting:
Hi Ian
Well, I didn't fall asleep in the meeting and I gave some (what I thought was good) input.
Also there was Guzzler, Phil Eyden, Kirk Alexander from the White Cliffs Countryside Project, Jeremy Cope and Roger Marples from the Dover Society, Georgette Rapley, a chap from Crabble Corn Mill, some others too and a couple of chaps from the E.A. - Tom Reid, who I met with Ian along Barton Path a couple of months or so ago and a chap from the flood-risk section.
My contention is that the river Dour, our "Urban" river, doesn't need so much weed and plant-life as it currently has and that a balance must be struck between bio-diversity and the aesthetic appearance of the river.
It's not in open countryside, it flows through a town, it has a path alongside it as well as gardens on one side.
Most Riparian owners don't give a hoot about the river, so long as it takes their garden waste down-stream.
The general public's view of what the river should look like, is mostly completely different to the E.A.'s.
I do believe that educating people as to what their riparian owners responsibility is, is important (whether they'll take any notice of it or not, is a different matter) and so a list of addresses of the various riparian owners will be sought and they'll be written to advising them of their responsibilities, what's expected of them and the consequences of not abiding by the laws.
They won't, simply won't, entertain a river-warden, who if they did would have to be a fully qualified EA person, but it just won't happen.
Photos were shown round the table of before and after their work; the "before's" showed a river free of anything - weeds, plant-life, rubbish; the "after" photos showed all the plant-life, but no rubbish - well they wouldn't would they ?
A schedule of clearing out the various grills were given - monthly it appears, but with the rubbish accumulation, weekly would be better.
Not a waste of time at all, yes a talking shop - for the EA to advise us what they are doing for our river, but no real cognisance of people's real concerns.
No camera either for Bartion Path, even though I pointed out that it stopped as soon as the camera went up and restarted as soon as it was taken away.
Roger.