Worthing seaside hotspot not eligible for bathing water status despite findings from citizen scientists
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Worthing Borough Council applied last October for bathing water status for Beach House – the section of popular beach between Stene Gardens and Bayside Apartments.
In a letter received on Thursday evening (March 9), DEFRA (governmental Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs) informed the council that it had been unsuccessful with the application.
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Hide AdCouncillor Vicki Wells, Worthing's cabinet member for the environment, said: “I am devastated to hear that like many other Bathing Water Designation applications made across the entire country - Defra has selected only four for further consultation.
“That only one of these four is for a river speaks absolute volumes about the attitude of this government and their systematic attack on nature. How can local authorities including Worthing effectively monitor our local water quality for harmful bacteria - so we can work to identify, highlight and hold polluters to account locally?”
The application was made after the environment team recruited school pupils and residents to become ‘citizen scientists’, collecting data on water quality and the numbers of people using that part of the beach.
They were confident that this would be successful but DEFRA rejected the application for 'no discernable reason'.
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Hide AdThe rejection letter said: “After carefully considering the evidence provided in the application against these factors, we regret to inform you that the Secretary of State has concluded that the application for Worthing Beach House has not met the criteria set out in the regulations and therefore will not be taken forward for bathing water designation on this occasion.”
The council said DEFRA ‘did not explain why we had not been successful’ and council officers were seeking clarification as to why the criteria had not been met. They have also asked about an appeals process as ‘we were fully expecting to succeed with this application’.
A spokesperson for DEFRA said: “Government is committed to improving the quality of our coastal waters, rivers and lakes for the benefit of the environment and everyone who uses it. We would not comment on individual applications that are not being taken forward to consultation, but all applicants have been informed of the outcome of their application.
“When selecting new sites for potential bathing water designation, we consider how many people bathe there, if the site has suitable infrastructure and facilities, such as toilets, and if measures are being taken to promote bathing at those waters.
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Hide Ad“All applications are assessed against these factors and applications that do not meet the essential criteria will not proceed to national consultation.”
DEFRA said any applicants are ‘welcome to resubmit sites for future consideration’ – requirements for which are set out in the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. Further information on bathing waters can be found here.
Last year, Worthing residents stepped up to gather the information needed for the application. Together they racked up 20 hours of data recording how many bathers used the section of beach between May to September.
Councillor Wells added: “This decision will not prevent our fantastic Worthing community and dedicated council from proceeding with further applications as intended to ensure we have not one, but three Bathing Designations to monitor the water quality across the entire Worthing foreshore.