§ Mr. SternTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for safeguarding the outstanding natural interest of the Severn estuary, in the light of current development pressures; whether he plans further designations and safeguards in the wider Severn estuary; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe Severn estuary has been notified by the Nature Conservancy Council as a site of special scientific interest under section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This notification provides the site with legal protection from activities likely to harm its nature conservation interests and ensures that the views of the NCC are taken into account when development proposals affecting the site are being considered.
Two parts of the estuary, Bridgewater Bay and the upper Severn have been designated as special protection areas for birds under the European Communities directive 79/409/EEC and/or as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar convention. The whole estuary has also been indentified by NCC as having the potential for designation under the directive and the convention but no formal case for further designations has yet been submitted.
Classification as an SPA imposes stringent criteria, above and beyond those related to SSSI notification, that must be applied when development proposals are being considered; these criteria are set out in detail in DOE circular 27/87—"Nature Conservation". The circular makes it clear that, for planning purposes, potential SPAs should be treated in the same manner as formally designated sites.