New wildife Island for thames (from Telegraph)

[Hobjob]

Mountains of leftover soil from London roadworks creating new bird island at sea
Thousands of tons of earth dug from under the streets of London are being used to create a new island haven for rare birds off the coast of Kent.


By John Bingham
Published: 8:00AM GMT 26 Dec 2009
Thousands of tons of earth will be deposted on Hoo Island, an abandoned military site in the Medway estuary near Chatham Photo: CLEM RUTTER

A massive project to replace the capital’s leaky Victorian water mains has created a growing mountain of leftover soil and clay.

Faced with the prospect of having to dump the material in landfill sites, Thames Water engineers came up with the idea of shipping it to Hoo Island, an abandoned military site in the Medway estuary near Chatham.

Surrounded by mudflats and salt marshes which play host to tens of thousands of migrating, dunlins, teal, wigeons and avocets every year, the island sits in the centre of a Government protected Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Home to an 1870s gun fort, later used as an observation post during the Second World War, the island is now the site of an unusual environmental scheme involving the site’s owners, Peel Ports.

Over the next six years the interior of the 140-acre island will be used as a dumping ground for an estimated 100,000 tons of earth left over from roadworks in the capital, with all hazardous materials carefully extracted.

The soil will then be landscaped with earthworks and turned into a grassland habitat for ground nesting birds under guidance from the RSPB.

Being on an island, the chicks will be safe from the clutches of predators such as foxes, stoats or domestic cats.

The company estimates that it is saving £4 million a year in landfill tax alone by reducing potential carbon emission by transporting the material by barge rather than lorry.

“It was in a bit of a state, it needed covering with a capping material that would grow grass,” said Alan Young, Thames Water’s waste manager.

“There was one small ancient monument at one end of it and the rest of it looked like a landfill site.

“But this will create a real legacy for future generations.”

[david156]

Thats a good idea.
I wonder if there would be access in years to come?

[Wild-Woman]

Interesting post Hobjob. Could you link me into where you found it if you can please? Just down the road a piece from me so I'd like to follow progress and make sure it turns into what they say it's going to be turned into.

der! I've just read the post title, so I'll find it! Having a senior moment (has-been wildlife geek thing!!!)

[Picidae]

Bit odd this seeing as Hoo Island is already used as a dumping ground for extracted soils etc and used as a waste management site so this in itself is not a new initiative and certainly not the creation of a 'new bird island'. It's already used by winter migrant waders who feed off the mudflats (what will happen to those if it's covered in grass?) so I cant see how the species they mention will benefit from the provision of nesting areas. I presume it will continue to be used as a dumping ground for the dredgers that use the Thames estuary too.

One other minor point, surely with sea rises, high tides and the tendency for flooding in the Medway, how long will any ground nesters last anyway I wonder? The 'island' is almost completely flat and already crisscrossed with water channels! (Incidently, it's private property so not sure what the access will be like especially as it will still be a waste management site)

More here:

Medway Ports | Waste Management

[loripo]

Thames Water are overseeing a huge project to build two new super sewers beneath the Lee and Thames rivers, provided that planning permission etc is granted. Their website says that
The Lee Tunnel, which is the first of two huge tunnels planned over the next ten years - it
will cut in half the 32 million tonnes of storm sewage that currently
overflows into London’s rivers each year. The Government announced its decision to support the London Tideway Tunnels in March 2007.
The proposed Thames Tunnel - the bigger and more complex of the two tunnels - will run 20 miles from west London to east London, helping to prevent discharges from 34 Victorian overflow points along the River Thames. A planning application is expected to be submitted in 2011 and it is hoped the tunnel will be completed in 2020. Extensive investigation works are currently under way to identify the most suitable route for the tunnel and the ground conditions engineers will encounter during tunneling.


A series of boreholes to test the rock layers beneath the Thames have already been made from Barnes to Barking.
Possibly the material removed during this project might also be used to build up the island...

[fairplay]

Originally Posted by Picidae

Bit odd this seeing as Hoo Island is already used as a dumping ground for extracted soils etc and used as a waste management site so this in itself is not a new initiative and certainly not the creation of a 'new bird island'. It's already used by winter migrant waders who feed off the mudflats (what will happen to those if it's covered in grass?) so I cant see how the species they mention will benefit from the provision of nesting areas. I presume it will continue to be used as a dumping ground for the dredgers that use the Thames estuary too.

One other minor point, surely with sea rises, high tides and the tendency for flooding in the Medway, how long will any ground nesters last anyway I wonder? The 'island' is almost completely flat and already crisscrossed with water channels! (Incidently, it's private property so not sure what the access will be like especially as it will still be a waste management site)

More here:

Medway Ports | Waste Management

Another London Airport in 30 years time ?

Neil.

[loripo]

A bit more from Thames Water her...
Thames Water - News release - Roadworks soil builds Hoo-mongous bird island
Under the photo it says the island is an SSSI, so how are they allowed to dump excavted soil and clays there?

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by fairplay

Another London Airport in 30 years time ?

Neil.

lol I had the same thought.

[Picidae]

140 acres? - would be a very short runway! (But then in 30 years time, the 'island' will probably be under several metres of water anyway!)

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by Picidae

140 acres? - would be a very short runway! (But then in 30 years time, the 'island' will probably be under several metres of water anyway!)

Ah its no sillier than buildinga runway in the middle of an estury thats full of birds, one of the main causes or air accidents!

Going back on topic I believe there is a simliar plan at a new reserve RSPB in Essex, where they will use earth from the Crossrail construction to shore up sea defences and in general landscaping

[fairplay]

Originally Posted by Picidae

140 acres? - would be a very short runway! (But then in 30 years time, the 'island' will probably be under several metres of water anyway!)

I'm serious - in 30 years time this is going to be much bigger and more stable, and perfect for a STOL runway. So now is the time for naturalists to put pressure on Natural England and get the site designated.

But if any government get any long term ideas for this place, I doubt any designation would protect it 100%.

Neil.

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by fairplay

I'm serious - in 30 years time this is going to be much bigger and more stable, and perfect for a STOL runway.
Neil.

Perfect other than the fact it's an island of less than 200 acres. Presumably, you'd need a hotel, airport lounge, a substantial carpark, several hangers, control tower, and transport infrastructure to link it to Chatham or wherever, including a rail link, road causeway/bridge .... . Having said that, weren't there proposals to have a floating airport on the Isle of Sheppy following the Cliffe debacle?

I take the serious point being made though, that the potential longterm use of any substantial alteration to the land mass could be subject to controversy in later years - perhaps the MoD will want to requisition it back! Shame it's the 'wrong side' of the Thames barriers though ...any development in the 'gateway' would have to consider serious flood mitigation measures since it's the marshlands that protect North Kent etc from sea floods.

A nice vision would indeed be a properly designated bird sanctuary (RAMSAR?) with a complete withdrawal of all waste management works and the conversion of the old fort into an Ornithological Obs station