Water & Land Proposal
The strategy proposed here is to approach the predicted future flooding of an area as an opportunity rather than a problem through the use of managed realignment of the boundary of the estuary boundary.
The proposal involves the removal of the already damaged defences that form the banks of the estuary, and the rebuilding of these 250m back from the waters edge.
Hazelwood ‘baffles’ (which are small fences), will then be placed along the waters edge to encourage salt-marsh to grow in the new intertidal zone that is formed. The new defences will provide increased effectiveness against both gradual flooding from increasing sea level, and also storm surges, and act as a longer lasting cost effective solution. Additionally the restoring of the landscape to its original salt-marsh state will help to maintain the ecology in the area, and preserve a landscape which is gradually being lost.
The land proposed to become salt marsh is currently used for the grazing of livestock. It is proposed that, with architectural interventions to provide access across the salt-marsh, the land will continue to be used in the same manner for grazing. This aims to cause as minimal disruption to the farm as possible, and also aims to benefit the new salt-marsh, which can be maintained by grazing, keeping unwanted ‘sea couch’ vegetation at bay and encouraging diverse species to thrive.
A route through the area is additionally proposed, with a low impact visitor and education centre at the start, a historic church at the end, and punctuated along the way by small architectural interventions such as viewing platforms. The aim of this ‘journey through the landscape’ is to educate people on the increasingly relevant topic of habitat loss, and provided greater access to the landscape to both the locals and tourists alike. Additionally the visitor centre aims to raise money through donations to maintain the defences and therefore preserve the landscape for generations to come.
