Concerns Norfolk's Wash barrage plans would harm nature

Speaking at a recent meeting, developers have said it will help protect the ecology of The Wash and Fenlands, a vast area of wetlands home to an abundance of wildlife.

But a coalition of conservation groups including the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Wild Ken Hill and RSPB believe it threatens to damage these important habitats, turning them into a "green, fetid lake".

Environmental groups, including the Norfolk Wildlfie Trust, RSPB and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust claim the project will be catastrophic for nature. (L-R) Dominic Buscall, Steve Rowland, Gareth Dalglish and Helen Deavin (Image: Norfolk Wildlife Trust)

Gareth Dalglish, Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s nature recovery director, said: “The obvious lack of concern for this delicate wild landscape and its importance on a local, national and global scale for people and wildlife is deeply concerning.

“This scheme would destroy vast swathes of saltmarsh - a crucial habitat supporting wildlife, commercial fish stocks and a vital carbon store that helps combat climate change.

READ MORE: Councillors meet to decide Wild Ken Hill expansion plans

"And it won’t just reduce carbon storage - it will exacerbate the issue due to significant carbon emissions linked to the development and management of the barrage and its associated infrastructure."

The Wash is an important habitat for migratory birds (Image: Ben Andrew)

The Wash area has recently been put forward as a future candidate for UNESCO World Heritage Site status for its importance as being part of the UK's "bird superhighway", which sees millions of migratory birds travel from Africa to northern Europe each year.

It is recognised as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC). 

READ MORE: Conservationists at war over the Battle of The Wash

Centre Port, which is behind the scheme, wants to build a hydroelectric dam across The Wash from near Hunstanton on the Norfolk side of the estuary to near Skegness in Lincolnshire.

It says the £2bn barrage would create the world's first tidal-powered container terminal and help protect the low-lying coastline and inland communities from rising sea levels and increasingly-frequent storm surges.

Map showing the route of the barrage (Image: Centre Port)

The company claims the core aim of the development is to protect the ecology of The Wash and Fenlands, its agriculture and preservation of the natural habitat in the face of "escalating climate change".

Speaking at a public event, James Sutcliffe, CEO of Centre Port Ltd, said the scheme would protect local communities from the risk of flooding while also creating a new west-facing beach for locals and visitors to enjoy.

In November last year, the CEO said: "We can control storm surges so all the bird sanctuaries, salt marshes and so on don't get washed away, it's going to conserve The Wash and its bird life like it is today."

The Wash is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (Image: Wild Ken Hill)

However, experts believe it would instead impede the flow of water from the five rivers that drain into The Wash, causing potentially life-threatening flood risks to the communities living upstream.

Tim Jickells, an emeritus professor at the University of East Anglia and retired Oceanographer, said: “A tidal barrage will result in The Wash being filled with river water that is very high in phosphates and nitrates, turning it into a green, fetid lake.”

A previous proposal to build a barrier in 2008 was later abandoned after an outcry from conservation groups.

But in 2019, the Environment Agency said some kind of barrier might one day be needed to protect low-lying areas of King's Lynn. 

NWT's Mr Dalglish added: “The sediments which accumulate in The Wash store 11,000 tonnes of carbon every year; if a barrage is built, this sediment supply into The Wash from the North Sea will be stopped.

"There are far better ways to deal with climate change and the threat of sea level rise affecting communities than trashing the environment with a huge development.”