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Protector
and promoter
Who is responsible
for the Broads
One body - the Broads Authority - now looks
after the Broads. As a national park, the authority protects
its natural habitats and promotes the area for public enjoyment.
It also protects the navigation interests
of the area and is likely to change its name in the near future
to the Broads National Park.
Representing the major interests in the
Broads, the authority has a great opportunity to achieve balance
between the conflicting interests in the area.
The Broads Authority's structure and funding
sources have been under review by central government.
Where does the
money come from?
About half of the money to the Broads Authority comes from
central government, DEFRA.
A further fifth comes from contributions
from local authority partners. Plus, the Broads Authority
collects about a third of its income from tolls on commercial
and pleasure craft using the Broads. In 2002-3, this amounted
to over £1.5 million.
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| John
Packman, Chief Executive of the Broads Authority. |
"Our core budget is inadequate.
We need the kind of resources that reflect our work as a national
park and the scale of work for the third largest navigation
authority," John Packman, Chief Executive of the Broads
Authority.
He points to the dredging work in the River
Yare, which has disturbed mercury and copper. The project
to remove the mercury in the area has cost £1.5 million
so far.
Who else matters?
The Broads have a burgeoning number of interest groups, organisations
and individuals with views on how the Broads should be managed
and developed.
The Broads Authority tries to capture these,
through consultation through representation on the Broad Forum
or management committees, as well as liaison and management
groups around issues.
One of these organisations is the Broads
Society, which acts as a pressure group for the interests
of the Broads, taking a pro-active role, particularly on planning
matters. "We're a generator of new ideas," says
Martin George,
chairman of the Broad's Society.
Map
About
the Broads
A
refuge for wildlife and holidaymakers
From
Roman seaside resort to motorcruisers
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