Projects
Restoring Saltmarshes for Climate Resilience
One of the U.K.'s largest coastal management schemes, Steart is an example of working with nature to restore habitats, mitigate flood risk and respond to climate change
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Credit: WWT Sacha Dench
The Steart Peninsula is an exposed section of coast in Somerset, south-west England, next to the Severn Estuary, vulnerable to flooding from the River Parrett at the point where it meets the sea. Jacobs was brought in as the lead consultant by the Environment Agency to design and ultimately supervise the construction of new wetlands to provide flood protection, biodiversity enhancements and recreational benefits.
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1.5 K+
hectares (3,700 acres) of habitat delivered to date on Jacobs projects
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60 +
Jacobs projects in the U.K. are connected with saltmarsh restoration
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50 +
U.K. estuaries spanned by our projects
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5
of the U.K.’s largest managed realignment schemes involved Jacobs’ support
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10 +
meters (~32.8 feet) tidal range of the Severn Estuary, where Steart is located. This is the second largest tidal range in the world.
“Managed realignment schemes such as Steart can make a valuable contribution to sustainable coastal management, potentially offering social and economic benefits as well as environmental gains.”
Toby Wilson
IN-DEPTH
The Steart Coastal Management Project is one of the U.K.’s largest coastal habitat creation schemes, restoring over 400 ha (990 acres) of natural habitat, including large areas of saltmarsh and mudflat which are home to many sensitive species. The project reduced the risk of flooding to the surrounding community and infrastructure; in addition, it created hectares of saltmarsh, intertidal mudflat, coastal grazing marsh and freshwater lagoon, significantly improving the coastal environment and biodiversity.
Watch and learn more about the Steart Peninsula project
The success of the project was recognized by multiple awards:
- Environment Agency’s Project Excellence Awards (Sustainable Resource Management)
- Institution of Civil Engineers South West Awards (The People’s Choice)
- Green Apple Awards (Habitat and Diversity/Innovation)
- British Construction Industry Awards (shortlisted)
- Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) Awards (shortlisted)
Meet some of the team
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Nigel Pontee, Technical Lead, Geomorphological Design
Professor Nigel Pontee is Jacobs Global Principal for Coastal Planning and Engineering. Nigel has spent over two decades working on the restoration of coastal habitats around the globe, including the research, planning and design of various blue carbon studies. He is also a visiting professor in the Faculty of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Southampton.
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James Scott, Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) Site Supervisor/Designer
James is a highly capable engineer, with a broad knowledge and understanding particularly within flood risk management, with a focus on river engineering. He has deep experience in delivering complex sensitive flood risk management projects with collaborative delivery teams and managing stakeholder engagement.
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Toby Wilson, Project Manager
Toby is a project manager, with long experience of working on large-scale restoration schemes. Toby has successfully coordinated multidisciplinary teams to deliver a detailed design through close working relationships with key stakeholders.
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