7 - West Cumbria Coastal Plain : Summary and Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity

Summary

The West Cumbria Coastal Plain National Character Area (NCA) forms a plain of varying width between the Cumbrian High Fells NCA in the east and the Irish Sea to the west. Views inland are set against the Lake District mountains, with long-distance views to the Isle of Man and southern Scotland across the sea. The coastline encompasses a diverse range of habitats including mudflats, shingle and pebble beaches, honeycomb worm reefs, soft cliffs, the high sandstone cliffs of St Bees, dune systems, expansive estuarine systems and the barrier islands of Walney and Foulney.

Inland the wind-swept and open pastoral farmland of the undulating plain is dissected by more sheltered lowland river valleys. These valleys are delineated by woodland and grade into coastal landscapes as they approach the sea. The arable landscape of the St Bees area provides a contrast with the surrounding pastoral landscape. A large part of the area is designated as part of the Lake District National Park. To the north there are extensive areas of land reclaimed from coal mining, iron and steel industries, and processing industries around the towns/ports of Whitehaven, Workington and Maryport. The energy industry is highly visible and an important employer, with shipbuilding important around Barrow-in-Furness in the south.

The coast from Walney Island to St Bees, including the Duddon Estuary and the estuary complex at Ravenglass, has a number of internationally and nationally designated nature conservation sites. These are important for their coastal sand dune, vegetated shingle and salt marsh communities as well as for breeding seabirds, wintering waders and wildfowl, natterjack toad and specialist flora. As well as the coastline, the area supports nationally and internationally protected lowland rivers in the form of the Ehen and Derwent and lowland raised bogs around the Duddon Estuary.

In the north, access by road historically follows the Roman routes through the Derwent Valley and along the margins of the Solway Basin. In contrast, the southern route via Furness and Barrow is more recent, being 19th century in origin, with earlier routes being across the sands of Morecambe Bay. The railway, also of 19th-century origin, follows the coastal periphery and links all the main coastal settlements. The area has a diverse economy historically based on coal mining, open cast mining, ship-building and agriculture, with the developing and expanding energy industries and tourism being important employers and adding to development pressures. Tranquillity as well as a strong sense of place and history all contribute to the area’s recreational value which, combined with its nature conservation interests associated with the rivers and the coast and strongly influenced by water quality, makes the area attractive to both residents and visitors. The West Cumbria Coastal Plain NCA provides the access gateway to the western fells and lakes of the Lake District National Park for those seeking quiet recreational experiences. The St Bees Heritage Coast, Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site and Hadrian’s Cycleway (part of the National Cycle Network), and the Coast to Coast path and England Coast Path all cross the NCA, bringing visitors to experience the area’s natural and cultural heritage.

Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity (SEO)

See the Statements of Environmental Opportunity section for more details on the headlines listed below.

SEO 1

Conserve and enhance the unique open coast and estuarine landscapes with their distinct geology, improving and connecting habitats and their species, and enabling natural coastal processes to occur to enhance and improve the coast’s ability to adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change.

SEO 2

Manage and enhance the farmed environment to secure viable and sustainable farming, improving water quality of the rivers and coast, reducing soil erosion, strengthening historic landscape character, conserving heritage features and archaeology, supporting species populations that are dependent on this area, and improving habitat connectivity.

SEO 3

Improve and enhance sustainable recreation, enabling people to experience the peace and beauty of the area and learn more about its biological, geological and heritage assets and natural processes, while managing visitor pressure to conserve the highly valued tranquillity and protect the sensitive semi-natural habitats and species found there.

SEO 4

Manage industrial and former industrial sites to accommodate both their economic and environmental potential by managing new energy industries, growth areas and their associated infrastructure to provide social and environmental gain while minimising pollution and disturbance and to improve ecological connectivity in the landscape, particularly in urban-fringe areas.