MP says consequences of barrage on Burnham must be fully considered

Published: January 22, 2008
MP says consequences of barrage on Burnham must be fully considered

Burnham-On-Sea MP David Heathcoat-Amory said this week he will ensure a new government feasibility study on the proposed Severn Barrage properly considers the local consequences of building the structure at Brean.

The study will assess the costs, benefits and impact of harnessing tidal power from the Bristol Channel estuary, and identify a single preferred project.

The study is expected to last two years and will examine proposals for a range of options for power generation, including barrages, lagoons and other technologies. It will also cover the 'environmental, social, regional, economic and energy market impacts.'

News of the study comes just days after Gareth Woodham, the Neath entrepreneur behind plans to create a barrage between Brean and Lavernock Point in Wales, visited Burnham to discuss his plans - as reported by Burnham-On-Sea.com here.

Mr Heathcoat-Amory said on Tuesday: "If this project goes ahead it will be the biggest engineering project ever undertaken in Britain."

"The effect on the environment would be profound, and that includes not just the wildlife, but the people who live along this coastline."

"I will be contributing to the study at each stage and making sure that the consequences for local people and our coastline are properly taken into account."

Mr Heathcoat-Amory wrote to the Secretary of State, John Hutton, in December 2007 asking that the study should include the possibility of a barrage being built from North Devon, which would enclose a much larger area of the Bristol Channel - including the Burnham-On-Sea area.