Severn barrage plans 'not affected by bid for conservation status'

Published: September 1, 2007
Severn barrage plans 'not affected by bid for conservation status'

The proposed barrage would run from Brean Down to Lavernock Point

Plans by the government to get the Severn Estuary recognised as a Special Area of Conservation in order to protect vulnerable wildlife and habitats will not affect proposals to build a Severn barrage at Brean Down, near Burnham-On-Sea, it was announced on Friday (August 31st).

DEFRA, the Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs, confirmed that it has written to the European Commission to seek the special conservation status for the Severn Estuary as part of a long-running process of finding new UK conservation areas.

"The Severn Estuary has been selected as one of the best areas in the UK for mudflats, sand flats and salt meadows. The estuary is also an important area for migratory fish and as a nursery for juvenile fish of many species," said a statement from DEFRA on Friday afternoon.

Brean Down It added that the designation of the Severn Estuary as a Special Area of Conservation "would not rule out tidal power development in appropriate circumstances."

It continued: "The Government is ready to consider carefully proposals for a Severn Barrage and other tidal power developments."

"In the light of this, DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government have drawn the European Commission's attention to the potential of the Severn Estuary to contribute towards emissions reduction and renewable energy targets."

"We have also pointed out that these proposals could significantly alter the ecological characteristics of the Estuary and raise issues regarding the balance between habitat protection and tackling the wider problems caused by global warming. We are discussing this balance with the EU Commission."

It comes as the Sustainable Development Commission is due to report in the autumn on the potential for using tidal power to generate electricity both in the Severn and elsewhere.

Neath Entrepreneur Gareth Woodham and a separate consortium of construction firms called the Severn Tidal Power Group are behind multi-billion pound proposals to build a barrage between Lavernock Point near Cardiff and Brean Down near Burnham-On-Sea.

The barrage would allow water to rush through 176 sluices as the tide rises, but the water would be held behind the structure until the tide drops and then allowed to flow out, thereby driving more than 200 turbines and creating electricity.

Burnham-On-Sea News