Norfolk Broads

IWA Supports ‘Holding the Line’ Policy Against Sea Encroachment on Norfolk Broads

IWA Press Release

IWA Supports ‘Holding the Line’ Policy Against Sea Encroachment on Norfolk Broads

Release date: 24 April 2008

The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) announced today its full support for action to maintain the Norfolk Broads as a freshwater habitat and recreational amenity, for as long as practicable, rather than leaving it to the predations of the sea through a ‘managed retreat policy’ as postulated in one of the options for consideration in a recent Natural England report on the subject.

The announcement comes in support of recent statements by the Environment Agency and the Broads Society that the ‘line should be held as long as possible,‘ despite the threat of rising sea levels.

Commenting on the increasing threat of salt-water encroachment, Dr Roger Squires, IWA Navigation Committee Chairman said:

“The Norfolk Broads are a unique interconnecting system of tidal rivers and man made fresh-water habitats, valued as much for their ecology as for the leisure and tourism amenity that they provide. We consider that the salt-water encroachment presents a unique and important set of challenges which we hope will stimulate those responsible for coastal defence to seek to find viable solutions to a genuine and ever increasing threat”.

He continued: “Yet again our concern as a campaigning organisation concerned for the well being of all of Britain’s waterways is that this issue does not become a hostage to short term thinking caused by government  funding restraints; and that a long term view is taken to investment in protecting a world renowned waterway and nature reserve. IWA supports the Broads Society’s call for the Environment Agency to commission a wide-ranging study into ways in which the sea wall can be strengthened, or otherwise protected, thus ensuring that it remains in a sustainable condition for much longer than is deemed possible at the moment”.

Ends

For further information please contact Jo Gilbertson 0923 711 114  Jo.Gilbertson@waterways.org.uk

Notes for Editors:

Natural England Report:

Natural England issued a report following a seminar considering how the ecology and landscape of the Broads might be affected by climate change, and what steps could be taken to mitigate the likely effects of this phenomenon. It was leaked to Eastern Counties Newspapers, who published an article on March 28th.

The options under consideration were:

Option 1. Do nothing. Let nature take its course. Accepting that one or more sections of the sea wall between Eccles and Winterton would eventually be breached allowing inundation of the entire catchment.

Option 2. Hold the line. Maintain the sea wall, but accept that increasing quantities of sea water would sooner or later find its way underneath it, and that it would, as a consequence, ultimately collapse. This option, too, would result in the entire catchment developing into an embayment of the sea. In both option 2 and 1 sea water would find its way into the main part of the Broads via the Rivers Thurne and Ant.

Option 3. Adapt the line. Re-align the coast over time by allowing inundation to occur in some places, and building one or more barriers/embankments to limit tidal incursion in others. In practice, this would mean creating a new sea wall, or earthen bank a few hundred metres to the rear of the existing dunes.

Option 4.  Retreated defence. The entire Thurne catchment, including Hickling and Martham Broads, and Horsey Mere, are allowed to become inundated by rising sea levels creating a c.16,000 acre embayment of the sea. The report suggests that dams would have to be built at Potter Heigham and between Catfield and Stalham to prevent sea water from the embayment finding its way into the rest of Broadland.

The Inland Waterways Association

The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) is a registered charity, founded in 1946, which advocates the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of the inland waterways for public benefit.

IWA has about 18,000 members whose interests include boating, towing path walking, industrial archaeology, nature conservation and many other activities associated with the inland waterways.  Information provided by 188 corporate members with their own membership structures has revealed that they, in themselves, have a combined membership of at least 59,500 in support of IWA's voice.

IWA works closely with navigation authorities, other waterway bodies, a wide range of national and local authorities, voluntary, private and public sector organisations to raise funds, lobby for support and encourage public participation in the inland waterways.

More than 500 miles of canals and navigable rivers have been re-opened to public use since the Association was founded in 1946. Currently another 500 miles of derelict inland waterways are the subject of restoration plans.