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With its 360º panoramic views of Portsmouth Harbour, the South coast and the Isle of Wight, the Spinnaker Tower is the ideal location for the Environment Agency Board to meet and discuss the challenges of planned growth in South Hampshire.

The Board will discuss regional issues such as managing water supplies and flood risk on 6 May 2008, ahead of the open board meeting on 7 May.

The South East is one of the UK’s fastest growing regions, with 300,000 new homes planned for the next 20 years. In South Hampshire alone there are plans to build a further 80,000 properties.

"Climate change will put our environment under further pressure in the coming years," Sir John Harman, Environment Agency Chairman, said.

"With two years of below average rainfall in 2005 and 2006, the South East experienced one of the worst droughts for 100 years. With future growth in housing and population, our water resources will come under even more pressure.

"It is imperative that any further growth protects our resources. Metering is crucial to managing future water supplies and demand, and we need it sooner rather than later.

"Also, the floods last summer clearly showed the damage that flooding, either from rivers or from surface water, can cause.

"The plans for South Hampshire present us all with a challenge to make the right decisions about the location, design and nature of development so that both people and the environment are protected, especially in the face of climate change. It is critical that those responsible for development recognise the environmental pressures and work closely with us to tackle them," Sir John Harman said.

The Environment Agency Board meets for its open meeting on Wednesday, May 7, 2008, from 10am to 1pm in the Normandy Suite, Holiday Inn, Pembroke Road, Portsmouth PO1 2TA. The agenda can be discussed with Environment Agency Chairman Sir John Harman and board members during lunch from 1pm - 1.45pm. The agenda and board papers can be found at