The Severn Estuary: To barrage or not to barrage?

During the past 30 years, the Severn Estuary and its sub-estuaries, now a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Ramsar and Special Protection Area and possible Special Area of Conservation, has been the focus of a number of proposals for tidal barrages. The most significant of these have been proposals to build a tidal power barrage, making use of the estuary's extreme tidal range, across the Severn Estuary from Lavernock Point to the coastline near to Brean Down. Other proposals have tended to be for flood defence and for the creation of impounded water bodies to encourage waterfront development. Each of these proposals have had potential to impact upon the nature conservation interest of the Severn Estuary and the sub-estuaries. The extent of that impact has been the subject of much research and debate. The Countryside Council for Wales (and its predecessor the Nature Conservancy Council) is responsible not only for the statutory protection of the estuary, but also for advising the Government on the likely ecological impact of these types of proposals. This paper will explore the approach that has been adopted by CCW in dealing with these proposals, concentrating on those which have and could have an impact on the nature conservation and associated interest of the Welsh coast, particularly those at Swansea, Cardiff, Newport and the Severn Tidal Barrage, and put the case for the conservation of the extreme physical and biological environments of these hypertidal estuaries.