Governance and the Tidal Thames

A Talk for Sustainable Severn, December 2015 by

Adam Guy

Ex-Programme Manager, Thames Estuary PartnershipOffice for the Vice-Provost (Research), University College London

Is governance ‘ownership’?

Owners or stakeholders?

Citizens

State Companies

Who owns the Thames Estuary?

The City?

The Country?

A wasteland?

Thames history

• 12th Century - Crown sold river to City for cash• Aldermen administer a huge and disparate conflict-riven territory

• 18th Century - Thames Commission• Uncoordinated bunch of country squires and riparian landowners• River full of obstructions and experienced material decline and pollution

• 19th Century - Thames Conservancy• Bazalgette row led to ownership change in tideway riverbed and soils• Eventually incorporated Thames Commission as well

• 20th Century - Thames Water Authority and PLA• TWA > National Rivers Authority > EA, and Thames Water utility co.

Historical governance problems:

Navigation

Access

Pollution

Current governance problems:

Navigation

Access

Pollution

EA governance paradigm

Society

Environment Economy

So who governs or funds the Estuary?Port of London Authority (PLA)• Navigation, safety, obstructionsEnvironment Agency (EA)• Ecology, safety, qualityCorporation of London (‘The City’)• Health, imported foodsThames Water• Water supply, waste, & quality

Greater London Authority (GLA)Essex and Kent County Councils• Planning, development, people

The Public?

Safety

Socio-economic Environment

Integrated (Water)Management

A fulcrum in funding?

Opportunities: Socio-economic

Crossrail

Opportunities: Ecological

Thames Tideway (Tunnel)

Opportunities: Safety

TE2100

Why governance opportunities?

• Socio-economic• Talent pipeline: Crossrail > Thames Tunnel > TE2100• Embed emerging Natural Capital/Ecosystem Services

• Ecological• Habitat Creation: Managed Realignment• Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUDS)• Modal transport shift - road to river

• Safety• TE2100 - Flood Security: New funding models• EU WFD - Water quality: Sharing responsibility

Governance model: Partnership

Criticism: Still too top-down?Local stakeholder • NIMBY

• Why can’t I walk my dog?• Rewilding - dangerous?• No surrender to the sea

• Language gaps• Science blind• Deny climate change• Eco-burn/blind

• Interest groups• Local• Developers• EU policy• NGO/Voluntary

Research approach

• Alternative to ‘stakeholder consultation’ methods• Heimat or ‘belonging’ rather than policy/funding• UK Research Council - NERC/EPSRC Funding• Create product - reproducible, cross-applications

One values-driven solution?

• Capture uncertainty - interval method/fuzzy logic• Reduce ‘big-man’ effect - proportionate, no ‘loss’• Clear audit trail - why/how did we decide that?• New conservation ‘grammar’

• Values: why [do we care about our environment]?• Elements: what [things are we talking about]?• Properties: how [do we change these things]?

• Ultimately - iterative link to cost-benefit decisions• i.e. how do we decide what to spend to get the best ‘value’

Method

Analysis

Results 1: Why? = Values

Value Stakeholder’s Perspective Personal Perspective

Rating Rank Rating Rank

Health (phys/env) 7.166 1 6.935 2

Health (protection) 6.769 2 6.249 6

Future Opportunities 6.607 3 5.879 9

Adequate Resources 6.59 4 6.315 5

Knowledge/Heritage 6.325 5 6.324 4

Aesthetic Pleasure 5.651 6 7.486 1

Spiritual/Philosophical 5.651 6 6.153 8

Meaningful Occupation 5.473 8 6.691 3

Recreation 4.979 9 6.164 7

Results 2: What? = ElementsElement Adequate Resources Aesthetic Pleasure Recreation Health (Protection)

Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank

Hard Flood Defence Structures

6.411 5 6.828 4 7.294 3 7.483 3

Soft Flood Defence Structure

6.561 4 7.466 3 7.534 1 7.633 2

Sewage Treatment Work

8.27 1 7.918 2 7.231 4 7.756 1

Fish/Eel Passes

4.903 8 4.682 7 5.172 7 3.959 8

Fish 6.03 6 5.868 6 6.565 6 4.181 7

Shellfish 6.711 3 4.092 8 4.186 8 4.289 6

Riverside Vegetation 5.104 7 8.439 1 7.228 5 7.318 4

Disease Species

8.203 2 6.531 5 7.316 2 6.896 5

Results 3: How? = Properties

Future governance research?

• Universities: • Plymouth, Nottingham, Western Australia?

• Partnership or stakeholder model of management• Seek active management group making changes• Appropriately scaled problem/management group• Fluvial or coastal, or other governance problem?

adam.guy@darkwaters.org.uk