Plans for a tidal barrage across the Severn Estuary have recently been put on hold by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. Veronica believes this is the correct decision for a number of reasons. For starters, the large barrage from Brean to Lavernock would take decades to come on stream and would cause untold damage to the environment. Both the ‘Friends of the Earth Cymru’ and ‘WWF Cymru’ as well as many other environmental groups, are against the larger barrage. Also, the project would have cost just over £30bn, which Veronica believes is far too expensive at a time when public spending is so squeezed.
It is a belief of the Welsh Liberal Democrats that a smaller ‘Shoots Barrage’ would be more appropriate, as it would maximise energy production from the Severn Estuary with the minimum damage to the environment. The ‘Shoots Barrage’ is the more feasible option, although admittedly not strategically viable in the immediate term.
