Work starts on £7m wetland scheme

The existing sea wall at Wallasea

Work has started on a £7m Defra project to develop an area of coastal habitat while improving the flood defences on an island in the Crouch Estuary.

New creeks, islands and saline lagoons will be dug on the 108 hectares on Wallasea Island in Essex.

There will also be six breaches in the old sea wall to allow tidal flow.

The wetland is designed to provide shelter and habitat for invertebrates, fish, rare plants and create a new winter haven for wild birds.

With the project, the largest of its kind in Europe, a new sea wall made of clay will be fronted by a man-made saltmarsh instead of the usual concrete retaining wall.

Monitoring changes

The saltmarsh will be 50 to 60 metres wide, made from dredged marine sediments which would otherwise have been dumped at sea, will be shipped from Harwich and then pumped ashore.

Construction of the new sea wall began on Tuesday and should be completed by November.

The next phase will be creating the saltmarsh and the breaches in the old sea wall are due to be made in the summer of 2006.

The whole project is being managed by Defra's European Wildlife Division advised by English Nature, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Environment Agency and land owners Wallasea Farms.

Over the next five years Defra will be monitoring any changes to ensure the project meets its objectives and does not have any detrimental impact on the surrounding areas.