The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Has anybody realised that by the end of this year, or soon after, access to Pye’s Hall will be denied? This is due to the grandly named ‘Donna Nook Manage Realignment Scheme’.
It’s probably common knowledge that there is a plan to breach the sea defences north of Donna Nook, allowing farmland within the current dyke to become saltmarsh, creating a new habitat for birds and other wildlife, compensating for its loss elsewhere. This is part of a master plan to protect areas from Goole to Saltfleet, from occasional flooding and to allow for the natural rise in the sea level. Consultation has been ongoing since, I think, 2005, but having just moved to Lincolnshire at the end of 2006, I knew nothing of these plans until the latter half of last year.
Now I don’t want to get involved in the merits of agricultural land versus bird habitat, but I do want to know who, if anyone, has been consulted about the extinguishment of the Public Right of Way between the Stonebridge car park to Pye’s Hall and beyond. I’m awaiting a reply from the local Ramblers’ Association reps who ought to have been notified, but if any of you birders out there have any information about this path closure, I’d be grateful to hear about it.
Like many other Lincs birders, the walk along the track from Donna Nook to Pye’s Hall, scanning the bushes and trees for that elusive ‘lifer’ has consumed many hours that ought to have been better spent decorating, gardening, or even, perish the thought, working! But what a tragedy if we are restricted to a new, sterile path, inland. The trees and bushes will still be there (how often will the land flood in our lifetime, even if the sea defences are breached?) but we will be birding a kilometre inland (ironic in the year the Government agreed coastal access).
I cannot see any reason why the existing footpath cannot be allowed to stay in place, with a footbridge constructed over the breach of the defences, which looks like being at Pye’s Hall.
I’ve put a map of the affected area on: http://www.walk-west.co.uk/donnanook.html
together with information of public meetings, email addresses, links and downloads of relevant PDF files.
Please respond!
Cheers
Geoff

Thanks for the information. I won't be able to attend the two meetings in January but I'll be interested in what the Environmental Agency have to say.
I hope they can preserve the bushes at the site of the hall and even improve the area for migrants,making it into an island at times of flooding.With proper planning it should be better than Alkborough Flats (which I still haven't been too).
I will email Sarah Cross.
Please keep us all in touch.
Geoff

I'd like to echo Geoff W in saying thanks for this information.
Stonebridge to Pyes has been my local patch for a number of years now. The general lack of dense cover leaving scattered bushes, along with the trees + views over Grainthorpe Marsh, has for many years made this coastal strip popular with birders. Regular coverage has inevitably produced an impressive list of rarities over the years.
I'm certainly praying that the flooding will enhance the wildlife in the area even further.
I'm hearing conflicting reports as to when the project is due to go ahead. 2010? 2011? A lot of the locals are clearly against it - will this put back dates for the project?


regards

Chris

From what I have read, work is due to start sometime this year. The locals are against it mainly because of the loss of good farmland, and the density of heavy traffic using the narrow roads in the area.
I'm waiting for a reply from the EA as to their plans for the original path (the Ramblers' Association have heard nothing). I remember a similar project by the EA along the River Axe estuary in Somerset. A wonderful path running on top of the dyke with views over the tidal estuary, was closed when new defences were constructed. Work started around 2000 and it was 3 years before a replacement footpath was opened – behind the new dyke – with views of a grass bank!

Geoff

The area purchased (at well above market value at the time of purchase) is a saltmarsh compensation area for losses elsewhere in the Humber
Access to Pyes Hall will still be possible along the dunes, the breach will be at the current outfall area at Pyes Hall, the trees and small hedge are likely to die with saltwater invasion, but ther are several copses of trees along the route of the new bank which will have public access and viewing areas. This area is one of the last reclamation projects for farmland along the outer Humber, and one should remember that several thousands of hectares of saltmarsh in the Humber and the Wash have been reclaimed over the past 250 years. John.

Thanks for that information John, good to know there will still be access, though a footbridge spanning the breach would be useful for the continuity of the coastal path.
I do appreciate the need for the saltmarsh, as long as the EA appreciate the need for access.

Cheers

Geoff

We did enquire about the construction of a footbridge , the engineers said it would be very difficult because of the water flows and breach width, and it would be very costly,and access will be established around the new bank, as part of coastal footpaths/ access, Their will be some habitat created between the old remains of bank and the new one which will be constructed c 30m on the seaward side, and as a local long time birder now lives adjacent, no doubt the area will be well watched. cheers John.