Top award for team that helped create a wetland paradise for birds
THE TEAM that helped create Europe’s largest tidal bird reserve has received a top award.
The project transformed Wallasea island, off Canewdon, into a 700 hectare sanctuary for wildlife, and has become a popular tourist attraction.
Rochford Council’s environmental health team is honoured for its part in the creation of a wildlife paradise.
The work place between 2012 and 2015 and involved bringing spoil earth from the Crossrail development to the island to create a new wetland area, requiring the construction of a new 24-hour jetty in the River Crouch and large conveyor system to bring the earth to shore, with the Rochford team overseeing the noise-control aspects of the project.
Martin Howlett, the council’s Principal environmental health officer, said: “This project is the first of its kind in Europe and required the importation of millions of tonnes of soil in order to create a stunning wildlife sanctuary. Our role was to oversee the noise control elements of this project throughout four years of extensive construction work.
“We are delighted the project has now come to fruition, and to accept this award along-side our partners.”
The team was declared winner in the Sustainable Resource Category of the Project Excellence Awards 2016, alongside partners the Environment Agency, RSPB, BAM Nuttall, Crossrail, Natural England, ABPMer, AECOM, Essex County Council and Maldon Council.
The scheme should attract a host of birds including avocets, redshanks, ringed plover, skylark, reed bunting, yellow wagtails, godwits and corn bunting.
From the start one of the aims was to entice rare birds such as black-winged stilts to the island.
The site also attracts water voles, brown hares, and invertebrates such as black oil beetles and solitary bumblebees.
The work at the site encourages the growth of naturally scarce plant species associated with disturbed, brackish conditions, such as curved hard grass, sea clover, stiff saltmarsh grass and sea barley.