The Barrier will provide a world-class area of sea for multiple leisure use, sailing, boating, rowing, fishing, swimming and diving, all protected from the fierce North Sea. The Barrier can provide Hunstanton in particular with an exciting range of facilities. A small-crafts lock would provide marina space with access to both protected waters and the open sea.

Land reclamation

The Barrier provides the opportunity to reclaim some of the sand and mudbanks for agricultural, commercial and general use.

"Where should such reclamation take place?"

Wind turbines

The Barrier can provide a ‘backbone’ for a large number of wind turbines to increase the electricity output of the Barrier. In addition, the lagoon system can act as a ‘battery’ that stores surplus power during periods of high wind/low demand and releases it at times of low wind/ high demand.

"Does the green energy generated compensate for the environmental impact of these turbines?"

Impact on coastal deposition and erosion

The waves, tides and currents of the North Sea will all be affected by the Barrier.

This will impact on the coastline beyond the Wash, particularly with respect to the scouring action of the tides.

"How should the Barrier and tide management be used to improve the coastal environment beyond the Barrier?"

Type of construction

The Barrier can be built using a wide range of methods. The traditional method is to use rock, but the cost of this would be particularly high as there are no local sources of suitable stone. Sand can also be used provided it is possible to dredge for it in the locality. There are now, however, other methods of building barriers. For example, the use of ‘geo-textiles’ (giant sandbags) would reduce the amount of sand needed for construction and thus reduce the cost. Professor Salter has proposed using old car tyres as a means of capturing sand, reducing the amount of sand required and providing a useful final resting place for a problem material. The use of simple flexible plastic barriers is feasible for the construction of lagoons where barrier failure has no safety implications.

How should shipping be accommodated?

Currently there are small ports at Kings Lynn, Boston and Wisbech, together with a number of other berths for leisure craft and so on. While locks through the Barrier would enable shipping to continue using each of these ports, the change in tides, currents etc. may interfere