Wikipedia

Centre Port

Centre Port is a proposed development across The Wash in Eastern England, which would link Norfolk and Lincolnshire by road. The plan is to link Hunstanton in Norfolk, with Gibraltar Point in Lincolnshire, creating an 11-mile (18 km) road, with a port and a railway at the midway point. Additionally the development would be a tidal barrage to prevent sea flooding, and would use tidal power to create enough electricity to power 600,000 homes. Whilst no formal plans have yet been submitted, the scheme has come under widespread criticism from those living in the area and from wildlife groups.

Centre Port
The causeway road would extend from Hunstanton to Gibraltar Point
LocationThe Wash, England
ProposerPort Evo
Project websiteOfficial website
StatusProposed
Cost estimate£2 billion
(estimated 2022 prices)
SupportersCentrica
Opponents

History

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Main article: The Wash

The Wash is a large tidal area between the counties of Lincolnshire and Norfolk on the eastern coast of England.[1] The Wash is fed by several major watercourses, the main ones are: (anticlockwise from the north) the Steeping River, River Witham, River Welland, River Nene and the River Great Ouse, and covers an area of 237 square miles (615 km2).[2][3][4] The Nene, Ouse, Walland and Witham, collectively discharge an average flow of 1,080 cubic feet per second (30.6 m3/s) (93,366,000 cubic feet (2,643,840 m3) per day.) fresh water into The Wash.[5][note 1] The sea area of The Wash is significantly smaller than it was in the 16th century, as much of the land has been reclaimed - places such as Wisbech, now far inland, were subjected to flooding such as in 1236 when hundreds died in a massive sea-storm.[6] A large swathe of land bordered by Boston in the north, Peterborough in the west, Wisbech and Ely in the south, and King's Lynn in the east which fringes the coastline of The Wash is still below sea level.[7] The Wash is an estuary (or embayment) which has deep channels, intertidal sandbanks and mudflats, while the coastline fringing the two counties of Lincolnshire and Norfolk has extensive saltmarshes.[8]

The proposal to build a barrage across the wash was first mooted in the 1960s, however, the plan then was that it would involve reclaiming some 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) of land and the diversion of fresh water spilling into the wash to feed water requirements in the south-east of England, particularly for agricultural needs.[9] This would require a sea wall some 100-foot (30 m) in depth, releasing 500,000,000 imperial gallons (2.3×109 L; 600,000,000 US gal) of fresh water per day. The scheme was costed between £150 million and £287 million, saving an annual bill of £300,000 on sea wall repairs in The Wash area.[10][11][12] The project was dropped when the approval for a large on-land reservoir (Rutland Water) passed in Parliament.[note 2][13]

Plans were also announced in the 1970s with a barrage much further south in The Wash, but the consultant engineers stated that the project was beyond their technology, something with which a team of Dutch engineers agreed.[14] However, the Wash Water Storage Scheme was developed to determine the project's feasibility, in terms of its geological, and ecological impacts.[15] Further schemes were mooted in 2008, and again in 2019 when the Environment Agency suggested such a plan to protect flooding damage to King's Lynn.[16]

In 2023, The Wash, and other associated wetlands in Britain which are part of the East Atlantic Flyway, were nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status.[17][18] The Wash estuary has several recognised protections, notably EMS (European Marine Site), NNR, RAMSAR, SAC, SSSI, and SPA.[19]

The 2022 proposal

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Centre Port plan over The Wash. Plan not to scale; final project may differ to this schematic

Developer Port Evo announced plans in November 2022 to develop a tidal barrage across The Wash.[20] This would include a causeway with an 11-mile (18 km) road along the entire length of the barrage, and also include:

  • a container port known as Centre Port, capable of handling ships carrying 23,000 twenty-foot equivalent units[21]
  • a railway linking onto the Poacher Line in Lincolnshire[21]
  • a tidal energy scheme to generate electricity for 600,000 homes[22]
  • sea flood prevention of The Wash area[23]

The port would provide a deep-water trans-shipment point for container traffic by rail. This would feed into the line between Skegness and Nottingham, providing a quicker route into the Midlands and Northern England than the current route from the East Anglian ports.[21] The road would be a dual-carriageway from the container port area to Wainfleet, and a single-carriage road from the port to Hunstanton in the south in what would be a 20-minute journey end-to-end.[24] The project has an initial estimate of 2028 for completion.[25]

Support

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The energy firm Centrica announced their support and funding towards a feasibility study. The managing director of the firm said "We’re excited to help Centre Port explore their ambitious plans for The Wash. The project represents one of the largest tidal power schemes anywhere in the world and would provide a reliable source of green energy to the UK."[26]

Objections

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In November 2022, the National Trust stated "The Wash is one of the most important estuaries in the UK. Therefore, news of a potential new container terminal and tidal scheme in an area designated for its importance to wildlife, is deeply concerning." They also said: "Some bold claims are being made about ecology and we are keen to seek further information on the detailed plans and data to back these up. We are ready to scrutinise these plans and hold developers to account on their promises."[27]

Greenpeace were similarly critical of the effect on wildlife. Their chief scientist was quoted as saying: "Greenpeace remains highly sceptical that a tidal barrage on the Wash is a useful project, and it should certainly not be a priority for government support. Given the environmental impacts, needs for port infrastructure or flood defence should be met in a more targeted way."[22] The RSPB labelled the project as "outlandish, [and] unworkable."[28]

Both the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, and the Wild Ken Hill nature reserve in Norfolk object to the scheme. The latter pointed out that "...The way the Wash works is it’s quite a dynamic wilderness, so you get very complex movements of water and sediment which creates a mosaic of mudflats, salt marsh, channels, tidal streams … and that is what makes it so great for wildlife. Over 2 million birds visit a year, it hosts 50% of Europe’s common seals, and it has eels which are critically endangered globally. To interfere with those processes is highly likely to be very damaging."[22]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ This data is from 2011/2012. At the time, the Steeping River did not have a measuring station at its outfall.
  2. ^ The bill was passed in Parliament by 10 votes (65 against, 75 for.) The Wash project was said to not have been able to deliver what was required in the timescale laid down by the water bill.

References

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  1. ^ "The Wash and North Norfolk Coast - Special Areas of Conservation". sac.jncc.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  2. ^ Hofschreuder 2012, p. 54.
  3. ^ Hobbs, Alison J.; Shennan, Ian (Spring 1986). "Remote Sensing of Salt Marsh Reclamation in the Wash, England". Journal of Coastal Research. 2 (2). Fort Lauderdale: Coastal Education & Research Foundation: 182. ISSN 0749-0208.
  4. ^ Cooper, Nicholas J. (January 2005). "Wave Dissipation across Intertidal Surfaces in the Wash Tidal Inlet, Eastern England". Journal of Coastal Research. 21 (1). Fort Lauderdale: Coastal Education & Research Foundation: 28. doi:10.2112/01002.1. ISSN 0749-0208. S2CID 140712279.
  5. ^ Hofschreuder 2012, p. 78.
  6. ^ "The Wash" (PDF). wlma.org.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  7. ^ "A Guide to Management Strategies and Mitigation Measures for Achieving Good Ecological Potential in Fenland Waterbodies" (PDF). wlma.org.uk. 2017. p. 6. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  8. ^ Hofschreuder 2012, p. 6.
  9. ^ Weerd, J. H. de (18 October 1965). "Water Reserves". The Times. No. 56455. p. 13. ISSN 0140-0460.
  10. ^ Haley, William, ed. (25 September 1965). "The Wash as a vast reservoir". The Times. No. 56436. p. 9. ISSN 0140-0460.
  11. ^ "WASH BARRAGE (Hansard, 25 July 1967)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  12. ^ Davies, Delwyn (11 November 1968). "The price of a drink". The Times. No. 57405. p. 28. ISSN 0140-0460.
  13. ^ Rees-Mogg, William, ed. (2 July 1969). "Reservoir project though". The Times. No. 57601. p. 2. ISSN 0140-0460.
  14. ^ Wright, Pearce (11 September 1970). "Reservoirs preferred to barrage in Wash". The Times. No. 57968. p. 2. ISSN 0140-0460.
  15. ^ Corlett, John (1976). "ECOLOGICAL STUDIES IN THE WASH". SYMPOSIUM THE WASH WATER STORAGE SCHEME THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS 9 November 1976. The Institution of Civil Engineers and The Central Water Planning Unit. p. 1. doi:10.1680/twwss.45439. ISBN 978-0-7277-4543-9.
  16. ^ Bishop, Chris (17 July 2019). "Could Wash barrier one day be needed to protect King's Lynn?". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Seven sites confirmed in the running for UNESCO World Heritage Status". GOV.UK. 10 April 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  18. ^ Sennitt, Owen (10 April 2023). "Bid for parts of Norfolk's coast to win Unesco World Heritage status". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  19. ^ Hofschreuder 2012, p. 43.
  20. ^ Stocker, Theo, ed. (March 2023). "Tidal barrage plans for The Wash". Yachting Monthly. London: Future PLC: 7. ISSN 0043-9983.
  21. ^ a b c Sherratt, Philip, ed. (June 2023). "Skegness container proposal". Modern Railways. Vol. 80, no. 897. Stamford: Key Publishing. p. 21. ISSN 0026-8356.
  22. ^ a b c Horton, Helena (19 May 2023). "Tidal barrier proposal for Lincolnshire and Norfolk sets off wave of opposition". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  23. ^ Hakimian, Rob (22 November 2022). "Plans revealed for £2bn tidal barrage featuring container terminal, flood defence and rail and road links". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  24. ^ Fear, Victoria (24 November 2022). "£2 billion Wash vision revealed - with promise of economic, flood defence and transport boost for our area". Spalding Today. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  25. ^ "The Wash: £2bn tidal barrage plan including road and port unveiled". BBC News. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  26. ^ Bishop, Chris (22 November 2022). "Energy giant backs plan for tidal barrage stretching from Norfolk to Lincolnshire". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  27. ^ "Centre Port | The Wash | Tidal Barrier". National Trust. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  28. ^ "RSPB's wildlife fears over 'outlandish' £2bn tidal barrier for The Wash linking Norfolk and Lincs". ITV News. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2023.

Sources

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  • Hofschreuder, Brian (2012). Flood protection and marine power in the Wash estuary, United Kingdom: Technical and economical feasibility study (Thesis). Delft University. OCLC 1358822880.
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53°00′47″N 0°23′49″E / 53.013°N 0.397°E / 53.013; 0.397

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