Battle of the barrier
PLANS to build an 11-mile tidal barrier and dual carriageway across an important estuary for overwintering and migratory birds is the subject of serious concerns from multiple conservation organisations. The £2 billion Centre Port project, originally submitted to the House of Commons three years ago by James Sutcliffe of Centre Port Holdings, would include 15 reversible underwater turbines to produce reliable sustainable hydroelectric energy, which could potentially supply 600,000 homes. However, the ecological impacts of such a project might not be worth the benefits, charities have warned.
‘The Wash will essentially eat itself, as you will lose the topography of the 780sq km (300 square mile) estuary,’ says Steven Rowland of the RSPB. ‘The mudflats and saltmarsh that rely on the ebb and flow of the tide risk being eroded, removing a rich habitat and feeding and nesting grounds for up to two million birds. By altering the dynamics of the intertidal areas and, therefore, its ecosystems, 17 species of international importance will be displaced, with absolutely nowhere else to go.’
However, Mr Sutcliffe explains that the project is the result of ‘a lot of thought and pre-planning’ and he recognises ‘the extreme sensitivity of the area for Nature’. He has stressed his intention ‘to protect the ecology of the Wash (including wading areas) from tides of more than six metres that could flood large parts of the Fens. ‘It will take two to three years of feasibility studies for sea bed, sea life and wildlife and three years to construct,’ he says. ‘We are offering a workable, 200-year solution to green energy needs.’
With 25 years’ [Ross worms], which form areas of biogenic reef, could be catastrophic.’
