Wallasea island and the RSPB

[tidclacy]

Drifted by Wallasea on the way to Burnham Yacht Harbour from the Roach yesterday and apart from a Cormorant on a beacon not a bird in sight.

Are we out of season or has it not settled down yet?

 

[Tomahawk]

Wash your mouth out with beer. You must never question anything to do with environmental campaigners. Never mind that the RSPB has evolved into a huge land owning money generating machine. It is for the benefit of the management, sorry public.

 

[Champagne Murphy]

Wash your mouth out with beer. You must never question anything to do with environmental campaigners. Never mind that the RSPB has evolved into a huge land owning money generating machine. It is for the benefit of the management, sorry public,sorry birds.

Corrected that for you!

 

[Tomahawk]

Wallasea was the only grade one land in Essex. It has been turned into a theme park where birds are (should be) the main attraction but there was never enough material coming from crossrail to bring up the level of the entire site. Now it iremains half built. The promissed day trippers using the railway have neve arrived. But never mind, the project managers got paid and can still raise money for the next project.

It used to feed people.

 

[tidclacy]

Thought my pebble would raise some comments!

Could not agree more about the loss of grade one land.

I was told early on by the RSPB later confirmed by a very reliable source that they made the land owners an offer they could not refuse.

 

[sailorman]

Thought my pebble would raise some comments!

Could not agree more about the loss of grade one land.

I was told early on by the RSPB later confirmed by a very reliable source that they made the land owners an offer they could not refuse.

Lady Sm stopped all funding to this shower

 

[Tomahawk]

Indeed it was owned by Dr Lott (or Lock). She wanted to sell and the RSBB offered a significantly greater price than a commercial farmer could match.

We have become a nation of hobby farmers in love with the idea of something called countryside.

 

[NUTMEG]

There other issues here. The Wallasea project (re-creation of intertidal marsh) will also have an effect on flood management on the Crouch and the wider area. Tidal surges will be absorbed like a vast sponge and release the flood water slowly. As we are all aware, much of Essex only exists due to the sea walls. Government has slashed flood defence budgets and other ways to mitigate flooding need to be found. As for the loss of agricultural land, we overproduce subsidised food anyway, cut the subsidy paid to arable farmers and a lot of land will go out of production in any case. Post Brexit this may well happen.

I am a member of the RSPB, but they do wind me up from time to time, but before my failing eyesight put a stop to it the wife and I spent many happy hours on different reserves birding. I am also an offshore RNLI member and never moan about how they spend my money either

 

[DanTribe]

I went to a public meeting before the work started.
I asked how long it would be before we could start harvesting the wildfowl for the pot. Apparently that was not the intended use.
Not much sense of humour those birders.

 

[Tomahawk]

Rhoda,
Are you seriously saying that someone suggested Wallasea island will act as a damper to tidal surge and protect the S coast? Although quite large, the entire project is but a splash against the area of the N Sea. To make such claims undermines all credibility.

 

[NUTMEG]

Read my post again. I mentioned the Crouch and wider areas. Not the south coast, Antarctica or New Zealand for that matter. Please don't put words in my mouth, we are not politicians are we?

 

[Bru]

There is no doubt that reasonably large areas of intertidal salt marsh absorb tidal and storm surge energy

Whether Wallasey Island, if it's ever finished, will have a positive impact or not I've no idea though

We are faced with a stark choice over the next century - we either construct sea defences on a vast scale that will dwarf even the Netherlands extensive works or we abandon significant areas of the East Coast to erosion and rising sea levels

The costs of maintaining the current coastline would probably beggar the country for generations

 

[NUTMEG]

Whether Wallasey Island, if it's ever finished, will have a positive impact or not I've no idea though

Well that was part of the original proposal, but, as you say, a lot more reclaimed agricultural land will need to be restored to wetland to really have a widespread impact. What concerns me more is that PP for new housing development still seems to take no account of flood risk. The new estate in Maldon, about half of Maylandsea etc etc are only just above mean sea level. Just the post 1953 poorly maintained sea walls between them and the briney. Madness. At least the Wallasea project is a step in the right direction, albeit a little one.

By the way, did your mate sell that lovely Heard28? I deffo fell in love with it. Sadly the missus didn't :-(

 

[NUTMEG]

Wallasea was the only grade one land in Essex. It has been turned into a theme park where birds are (should be) the main attraction but there was never enough material coming from crossrail to bring up the level of the entire site. Now it iremains half built. The promissed day trippers using the railway have neve arrived. But never mind, the project managers got paid and can still raise money for the next project.

It used to feed people.

Not according to ECC, unless I have missed something (very possible).

 

[tillergirl]

There is no doubt that reasonably large areas of intertidal salt marsh absorb tidal and storm surge energy

Whether Wallasey Island, if it's ever finished, will have a positive impact or not I've no idea though

We are faced with a stark choice over the next century - we either construct sea defences on a vast scale that will dwarf even the Netherlands extensive works or we abandon significant areas of the East Coast to erosion and rising sea levels

The costs of maintaining the current coastline would probably beggar the country for generations

Am I the only one to think that the Netherland 'extensive works' that deleted a vast area that once would have "absorb tidal and storm surge energy" has significantly raised the risk of flooding of the UK south-east? A tidal surge that once would be shared evenly twix the UK and Holland HAS to come here; it cannot force down the Channel past Dover.

Oh, on a comment that I think I have said before: one day I boarded my mooring at the end of Salcott Creek and I thought it a lovely day for a cup of tea and cake. I sat in the gentle sun listening to Curlews and the the Ospreys and watching some Sanderlings and some Godwits. In my dotage, thinking through how much pleasure was sometimes there was just to sit on board when.... All the bird song had stopped. I looked around and all the bird life had gone. I looked around at the Bird Sanctuary on Old Hall marshes and there were two bird watchers not really looking at much. Eventually they went away and then shortly a Curlew called by and normal life was restored. I promise I have not embellished that.

 

[Boz]

Before panicking too much - I would recommend that you review the Graphical information on Frank Singleton's Website under Climate change..... http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Climate-Change-Fact-Or-Fiction#intro

 

[NUTMEG]

Am I the only one to think that the Netherland 'extensive works' that deleted a vast area that once would have "absorb tidal and storm surge energy" has significantly raised the risk of flooding of the UK south-east? A tidal surge that once would be shared evenly twix the UK and Holland HAS to come here; it cannot force down the Channel past Dover.

Oh, on a comment that I think I have said before: one day I boarded my mooring at the end of Salcott Creek and I thought it a lovely day for a cup of tea and cake. I sat in the gentle sun listening to Curlews and the the Ospreys and watching some Sanderlings and some Godwits. In my dotage, thinking through how much pleasure was sometimes there was just to sit on board when.... All the bird song had stopped. I looked around and all the bird life had gone. I looked around at the Bird Sanctuary on Old Hall marshes and there were two bird watchers not really looking at much. Eventually they went away and then shortly a Curlew called by and normal life was restored. I promise I have not embellished that.

That is a very interesting observation, something I had never thought about. More research needed, anyone fancy funding me to have a couple of years off work so I can investigate this issue

As for your observation re. birders, my missus and I have noticed the same thing. Once on the marshes at Southwold we were happily watching waders going about their business when a coach load of birders turned up, chatting and laughing. Every bird flew off before the birders even got the telescopes out. We went to the pub . Bill Oddie said once that the best way of birding was to sit down somewhere and stay there, never go walking about looking for birds. The birds will come to you. He had a point.

 

[Tomahawk]

Once upon a time I got a database of all the properties in Maldon district that were at risk of tidal flooding. Obviously it covered all of Heybridge, the Basin, Maylandsea and parts of Goldhanger, Maldon, St Lawrence, Mayland. I can't remember the exact number but it was about a quarter of the homes in the district. And of course all the industrial areas in Haybridge not to mention the most important food distribution facility in the district (Tesco).

If all that became unusable on account of tidal flooding, it would be necessary to relocate the whole shebang somewhere up the hill complete with all the supporting roads, sewage, electricity etc. In short no easy task.

So what to do? wait until rising water is lapping round the shelves in Tesco or defend the most densely populated part of the District? I would advocate defending the area by building a barrier across the Blackwater and letting the flood cells downstream revert to proper tidal marsh. Sadly the material that could have protectd thousands of people was used to part build the theme park at Wallasea.

 

[Bru]

The Dutch would have built a dam across the Blackwater years ago. It's an idea that is not without its attractions

I'd be dead against a dam across the entrance to the Crouch though cos if our berth was all tide access they'd put the price up

 

[UncleAlbert]

I also have wanted a barrage across from Mersea to Bradwell. The new Ting Tong nuclear station would have the water it needs this and has the additional benefit of providing year round warm bathing water for BANNG bathers and others. The fish would develop to ginormous sizes so expensive fishing tickets could be sold by Maldon council keeping us local's rates down, in the enclosed lagoon we would have water all the time for sailing, a tidal generator could be installed in the barrage to be powered by inflow/outflow.

The Chinese could pay for it as part of the power station approval process.

What's not to like?...................................... I commend it to the house/forum .................... and hunker down in my bunker awaiting the responding salvo's.

Unc