23 June 2006

Plans have been unveiled for a large new nature reserve on Canvey Island in south Essex.

The RSPB has acquired 256 hectares (640 acres) of grassland and saltmarsh at West Canvey Marsh and is seeking local views on how to manage it for wildlife and people in the future.

Photocall: representatives from Castle Point Borough Council, Cleanaway Pitsea Marshes Trust, East of England Development Agency, William Morrisons Supermarkets plc, Department for Communities and Local Government, Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership and the RSPB are meeting at Morrisons supermarket, Canvey Island at 2.30 p.m. on Thursday 22 June. Media are welcome to join us for a brief visit to the new nature reserve.

The bulk of the land, bought from William Morrison Supermarkets plc, is grazing marsh that lies to the west of Canvey Way.

The purchase was made possible by generous financial support of the East of England Development Agency, Cleanaway Pitsea Marshes Trust and the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Thames Gateway Programme.

As well as protecting this as open space, the RSPB hopes to bring more water onto the presently rather dry marsh, improving it for breeding wading birds such as redshanks and lapwings and for wintering wild ducks.

But plans remain to be finalised and the RSPB will be consulting locally about the future management of the land. It has been managed as grazing land for generations and this, says the RSPB, has laid the foundations for a sustainable future. As well as protecting the land from future development, the RSPB hopes to increase its value for wildlife and improve access for the local community and visitors.

The area bought from Morrisons also includes 30 hectares of saltmarsh at Benfleet Creek, west of the bridge onto Canvey Island. The saltmarsh here is known to support a high density of nesting redshanks.

Paul Fisher, the RSPB’s South Essex Projects Manager, said: “This secures for future generations the largest remaining green space on Canvey Island – a landscape rich in wildlife and great for people.“

About 80 per cent of the coastal grazing marsh in Essex has been lost since the 1930s, due to a combination of conversion to arable, building and landfill sites. But a large and valuable area remains on the Thames, with this area on Canvey linking with grazing marsh at Pitsea, Vange and Fobbing to the west of Hole Haven Creek.

This is a further investment by the RSPB in the South Essex Thames Gateway, following recent reserve established at Vange Marshes in Basildon [note 1].

With 650,000 people in the south Essex part of the Thames Gateway [note 2], a major aim of ‘Greengrid’ is to provide new green spaces connected to each other in a network accessible to people and filled with wildlife. This is a foundation for ‘sustainable development’, securing a healthy and attractive place to live in and to visit.

Councillor Pam Challis, Leader of Castle Point Borough Council, said: "We are delighted that the RSPB is now managing this marshland area. It is important for such places to be well-managed so that the wildlife has space in which to live and nest. It is also good news as it will preserve this open space for current and future generations to enjoy and also encourage visitors to come to our Borough."

Doug Benjafield, Chairman of Cleanaway Pitsea Marshes Trust, adds: “The Cleanaway Trusts have been longstanding and significant financial supporters of the work of the RSPB on the urban fringes of south east Essex, particularly in areas adjacent to Cleanaway landfill sites. Protecting this land from development – in perpetuity – is helping the long-term nature conservation interests of the area. This approach to partnership working provides the most sustainable option to maximise the benefits for both wildlife and controlled public access.”

Mary Spence, Chief Executive Officer of the Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership said “The successful acquisition of this valuable site further underlines the commitment of the Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership to the protection and enhancement of the rich environment of the area, and our desire to make it accessible for local people.”

Richard Ellis, chair of the East of England Development Agency said "EEDA has invested heavily in the Thames Gateway to assist with economic development and future growth of the area but we recognise our investment needs to achieve more than create new businesses. We are working to protect the environment and preserve the ecology of Canvey Island, a goal which can only be achieved by working with our partners to create truly sustainable communities."

The new reserve is already in the Essex Coast Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) scheme run by Defra's Rural Development Service (RDS). Alan Bullivant, leader of Defra’s team of environmental advisers in Essex said: "The Essex Coast and the Thames Estuary is one of the top five coastal wetlands in Britain in terms of its value to bird, invertebrate and plant communities, some of which are nationally rare or scarce. The ESA scheme and the new Environmental Stewardship scheme help farmers and landowners manage this resource for the benefit of the wildlife and ultimately for the rest of us. We are confident that the RSPB's management at Canvey Island make this attractive coastal grassland even more valuable for wildlife.”

Mark Easton, store general manager of Morrisons Canvey Island said: “We are pleased to have concluded the deal to sell this land to the RSPB to protect an area of local natural significance.”

Graham Mee, leader of the RSPB’s South Essex local group said: "Coming so soon after the new nature reserves at Vange, to hear about the purchase of large areas of Canvey Marshes is just amazing. The local group looks forward to helping with the new reserve and to an exciting future for nature in south Essex.”

ends

Further information
Paul Fisher, South Essex Projects Manager mobile 07740 097058
Chris Durdin, Public Affairs Officer, RSPB regional office 01603 660066

Notes for editors

The RSPB’s reserves at Vange Marsh North and Vange Wick Marshes, totalling 118 hectares (295 acres), were announced in December 2005.

2. Thames Gateway: South Essex became part of the Thames Gateway in 2001, with a population of 650,000 people in the area covered by the Councils of Thurrock, Basildon, Castle Point and Southend-on-Sea. The Thames Gateway is a government Growth Area – the largest economic regeneration zone in the UK. The RSPB is working with many partners within the Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership to ensure that any development is sustainable – especially through collaboration in the Greengrid. The Greengrid sets out to make sure that there is green space – rich in wildlife and accessible to people – throughout the South Essex sub-region and that these areas are connected together. The RSPB plans to create new nature reserves here and to introduce many people – both local and new visitors – to the wealth of wildlife and landscape. The RSPB believes that its role as a green developer will protect and improve our natural resources, set the scene for sustainable economic growth and create a healthy and vibrant fabric for work, rest and play.

3. The Thames Estuary is the major part of an estuarine complex known as the Greater Thames. Stretching from London Bridge to Clacton in Essex and Whitstable in Kent, the Greater Thames is the UK's most important estuary complex for birds. Its importance is formally recognised by its designations under national, European and international nature conservation law. This outstanding area for wildlife is made up of mudflats, saltmarsh and grazing marshes and supports up to 300,000 wading birds, ducks and geese each winter. Many more rest and refuel during their migration between their arctic breeding grounds and their winter quarters in Africa or southern Europe. Many species including brent geese, knot and bar-tailed godwit reach internationally important numbers. The area is also important for breeding birds. The wetlands are home to an array of other wildlife, including water voles, scarce emerald damselflies and many nationally rare plants.

4. Cleanaway Pitsea Marshes Trust was established nine years ago to manage the tax credits generated by the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme (LTCS). The Pitsea and Canvey Marshes Trusts merged in April 2005 – to benefit community and environmental projects in Basildon and Castle Point. More than £5.8 million has been spent on 150 projects. Initial enquiries about Trust funding should be addressed to the Project Officer on 01708 520061

5. Progress on the RSPB’s new nature reserves can be followed by visiting the Greengrid website www.greengrid.co.uk Information on local activities and the RSPB’s work in South Essex is on www.southeastrspb.org.uk

Chris Durdin
Public Affairs Officer
RSPB Eastern England Office
www.rspb.org.uk
e-mail: chris.durdin@rspb.org.uk
tel 01603 660066 direct line 01603 697521

The RSPB is the UK charity working to secure a healthy environment for birds and wildlife, helping to create a better world for us all.