Land claim in estuaries - England

Enclosure of tidal land has taken place in all the major tidal areas in Great Britain. The extent of enclosure and subsequent use depends on the nature of the enclosure and the type of substratum enclosed. Enclosure for agricultural use requires a suitable consolidated substratum, usually developed via saltmarsh accretion. For industrial use tipping of inert material or the pumping of intertidal sediments into the void created on tidal flats behind a newly erected sea wall can provide consolidated land. This has been used for building or other development including industrial development, expansion of port facilities, roads, housing and refuse disposal.

All of the above have affected most of the estuaries in the UK as elsewhere in Europe and the rest of the world. The extent of loss has been documented for the larger sites in England (see Table below) where most extensive enclosures in the UK have occurred and the "Estuaries Review" (Davidson et al. 1991).

The cumulative nature of enclosure for agriculture can be seen by reference to the Wash and from infrastructure at Cardiff Bay.

References

Davidson, N.C., Laffoley, D..d'A., Doody, J.P., Way, L.S. & Gordon, J. 1991. Nature Conservation and Estuaries in Great Britain. Nature Conservancy Council.