Published: May 6, 2007
Severn Barrage 'could create flooding in Burnham-On-Sea area'

A proposed barrage across the River Severn from Brean to Wales could cause flooding in the Burnham-On-Sea area instead of preventing it, a local study group has claimed this week.

The Burnham And Somerset Levels Sea Flood Study Group is proposing that groups interested in building the barrage, such as Welsh entrepreneur Gareth Woodham and The Severn Tidal Power Group (STPG), should consider Minehead as the barrage's starting location rather than Brean Down, as illustrated in the plans above which were first revealed by Burnham-On-sea.com earlier this year.

The flood study group's chairman, Patrick Stokes, said in a statement this week: "We must consider rising sea levels and the protection of our lowland areas from sea flooding because the prospect of major sea level rises has become apparent."

"The proposed construction of a barrage from Brean Down to Lavernock Point does not even start to solve the flood part of the objective and we would expect it to make things worse."

The group says that while the barrage would need to be built 5km longer to start at Minehead, this would reduce the risk of flooding and also lessen the environmental impact of the structure.

"Our group's objectives have always been to explore methods to protect the Severn Estuary and, in particular, our 640 sq km of Somerset and lowland areas from the future threat of sea flooding," said Mr Stokes.

"A Severn barrage designed to provide a major source of renewable electrical power at a time of critical need, if correctly sited, could also provide the wanted flood protection. A radical solution might be to return to an assessment of the second choice barrage route between Minehead and the South Wales coast."

"A barrage here would retain about 150 per cent more water and it should be possible to make a considerable increase in power output."

The Burnham And Somerset Levels Sea Flood Study Group is also calling for STPG, a consortium of engineers from UK companies Sir Robert McAlpine, Balfour Beatty, Taylor Woodrow, and Alstom who costed a design for the Severn barrage in 1989, to update and reveal more details of its plans.

Mr Stokes added: "We are worried that as the barrage would be a commercial proposition to build, there would be more concern with profits than flooding."