Funding bid for £20m ocean centre

The Taw-Torridge Estuary is part of the biosphere reserve

Plans for a £20m Oceanic Centre in north Devon have passed the first stage in a bid for lottery funding.

The UNESCO biosphere reserve covers more than 1,400 sq-miles, stretching from the Braunton Burrows to the Taw and Torridge estuary.

The Oceanic Centre would raise the biosphere's profile and would be a rare blend of visitor attraction and "university of the sea".

The hunt is now on for a waterfront location for the centre.

Braunton Burrows is considered internationally important because of the diversity and abundance of rare flora and continuous human use over the centuries.

The UNESCO designation of being a biosphere reserve means the area ranks alongside Mount Vesuvius in Italy and the Danube Delta in eastern Europe in terms of international importance.

If successful, the centre's primary aim would be to examine the relationship of the ocean with the environment and its impact on how we live.