Natural England

Responding to John Hutton’s announcement at the Labour Party Conference that the Government is commissioning a major feasibility study into tidal power to focus on the potential of a Severn Barrage, Sir Martin Doughty, Chair of Natural England said:

“Climate change is the biggest threat facing the natural environment. We urgently need a strategic assessment of the options for meeting the Government’s 2050 carbon reduction target and their impacts on the natural environment. Without this, it’s impossible to come to a view on proposals on the scale of a Severn Barrage.”

Sir Martin continued, “Any proposal for a barrage would have to prove that it was in the over-riding public interest under the EU Habitats Directive. It would be impossible to make this judgement without a strategic assessment of all renewable energy technologies and their potential impact on the natural environment.”

“The Severn Estuary is a conservation site of international importance. The mudflats, sandbanks, rocky platforms and saltmarsh is one of the largest in Britain, providing a habitat for important populations of waterfowl, invertebrate and large numbers of migratory fish.