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| The Broads | |
|---|---|
| Norfolk Broads; Suffolk Broads | |
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
 Ormesby Little Broad, part of the Norfolk Broads nearGreat Yarmouth | |
 | |
| Location | Norfolk andSuffolk,East of England,United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 52°36′2.34″N1°36′37.1448″E / 52.6006500°N 1.610318000°E /52.6006500; 1.610318000 |
| Area | 303 square kilometres (117 sq mi) |
| Established | 1989 |
| Governing body | Broads Authority |
| Website | www.visitthebroads.co.uk/ |
| Official name | Broadland |
| Designated | 5 January 1976 |
| Reference no. | 68[1] |
The Broads (known for marketing purposes asThe Broads National Park) is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties ofNorfolk andSuffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly used to identify specific areas within the two counties respectively, the whole area is frequently referred to as theNorfolk Broads.
The lakes, known as broads, were formed by the flooding ofpeat workings. The Broads, and some surrounding land, were constituted as a special area with a level of protection similar to anational park by theNorfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988. TheBroads Authority, a specialstatutory authority responsible for managing the area, became operational in 1989.[2]
The area is 303 square kilometres (117 sq mi), most of which is in Norfolk, with over 200 kilometres (120 mi) of navigable waterways. There are seven rivers and 63 broads, mostly less than 4 metres (13 ft) deep. Thirteen broads are generally open to navigation, with a further three having navigable channels. Some broads have navigation restrictions imposed on them in autumn and winter, although the legality of the restrictions is questionable.[3]
The Broads has similar status to the national parks in England and Wales; the Broads Authority has powers and duties akin to the National Parks but is also the third-largest inland navigation authority. Because of its navigation role the Broads Authority was established under its own legislation,Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988 which came into effect on 1 April 1989.The Broads Authority Act 2009, which was promoted through Parliament by the authority, is intended to improve public safety on the water.
In January 2015 the Broads Authority approved a change in name of the area to the "Broads National Park", to recognise that the status of the area is equivalent to the English National Parks, that the Broads Authority shares the same two first purposes (relating to conservation and promoting enjoyment) as the English National Park Authorities, and receives a National Park grant.
This followed a three-month consultation which resulted in support from 79% of consultees, including unanimous support from the 14 UK national parks and the Campaign for National Parks. Defra, the Government department responsible for the parks, also expressed it was content that the Authority would make its own decision on the matter.
This is the subject of ongoing controversy among some Broads users who note that the Broads is not named in law as a National Park and claim the branding detracts from the Broads Authority's third purpose which is to protect the interests of navigation. In response to this, the Broads Authority has stated that its three purposes will remain in equal balance and that the branding is simply for marketing the National Park qualities of the Broads.[4]
TheBroads Authority is the agency which has statutory responsibility for the Broads. TheNature Conservancy Council (nowNatural England), pressed for a special authority to manage the Broads which had been neglected for a long time, and in 1978 the forerunner to the present-day Broads Authority was established by the Countryside Commission (now alsoNatural England). Ten years later it had become clear that a statutory body was needed, and a specialAct of Parliament, theNorfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988 (referred to asthe Broads Act) made the Broads Authority into a specialstatutory authority which gave it parity withnational park authorities but with special responsibilities for navigation. The Broads Authority Act 2009 introduced greater safety controls on the broads and rivers.
The Broads Authority has to:
The authority has 21 members, who are appointed. Ten members are chosen by theSecretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, two are selected by the authority from its navigation committee, and nine are chosen by the local authorities within which the Broads lie from their own membership.Norfolk County Council appoints two members, and one member is appointed bySuffolk County Council and the district councils ofBroadland,Great Yarmouth,North Norfolk, theCity of Norwich,South Norfolk, andWaveney.[5] The Broads Authority was formerly represented by one member on theEast of England Regional Assembly, now defunct.
For many years the lakes known as broads were regarded as natural features of the landscape. It was only in the 1960s thatJoyce Lambert proved that they were artificial features—flooded medievalpeat excavations.[6] In theMiddle Ages the local monasteries began to excavate the peatlands as aturbary business, selling fuel toNorwich andGreat Yarmouth. Norwich Cathedral took 320,000 tonnes of peat a year. Then the sea levels began to rise, and the pits began to flood. Despite the construction ofwindpumps anddykes, the flooding continued and resulted in the typical Broads landscape of today, with itsreedbeds, grazing marshes and wet woodland.
Various attempts were made to extend the navigable rivers. The longest-lasting was on the River Waveney, where theRivers Brandon and Waveney Navigation Act 1670 authorised improvements which included three locks, atGeldeston,Ellingham and Wainford. The head of navigation became a newstaithe atBungay. The new section was a private navigation which was not controlled by the Yarmouth Haven and Pier Commissioners, who had responsibility for the rest of the Broadland rivers.[7] It remained in use until 1934 and, although the upper twolocks have been replaced by sluices and Geldeston lock is derelict, theEnvironment Agency have negotiated with local landowners to allow use bycanoes and unpowered vessels which can beportaged around the locks.[8]
The next attempt was to extend navigation on theRiver Bure fromColtishall toAylsham, which was authorised by an act of Parliament[which?] on 7 April 1773. Five locks were built, to bypass mills, at Coltishall,Oxnead Lamas,Oxnead,Burgh and Aylsham. There were financial difficulties during construction, but the works were eventually completed and opened in October 1779. At Aylsham, a 1-mile (1.6 km) cut was made from the river to a terminal basin, where several warehouses were constructed. Despite the arrival of the railways in 1879, goods continued to be carried to Aylsham by wherries until 1912, when major flooding badly damaged the locks. Unable to fund repairs, the Commissioners closed the 9-mile (14 km) section above Coltishall, although it was not formally abandoned until 1928.[7] All of the locks are derelict, but the course can still be used by canoes and light craft, which can beportaged around the locks.[8]
The third attempt was to make theRiver Ant navigable fromDilham toAntingham. TheNorth Walsham and Dilham Canal Navigation Act 1812 authorised theNorth Walsham and Dilham Canal, but work on its construction did not start until April 1825. The canal was a true canal, as its route did not use the bed of the river, and its construction, including six locks, was completed in 1826. It was about8+3⁄4 miles (14.1 km) long, and the locks raised the level by 58 feet (18 m). In 1886 the canal was sold to miller, Edward Press, for£600, but the principal clerk absconded with most of the money and it was never recovered. In 1893 the section fromSwafield locks to Antingham was abandoned, and the lower section was damaged by flooding in 1912. Some attempts were made to improve it in the 1920s, but the last commercial traffic used it in 1934, and it gradually became derelict after that.[7] There is still a public right of navigation to Swafield, and there is a campaign to reopen it.[8]
In 1814 the merchants of Norwich first suggested a plan to improve the route between Norwich and the North Sea, as the shallowness ofBreydon Water created difficulties for trading vessels, and there was organised theft of cargo during its transhipment atGreat Yarmouth, for which 18 men were convicted of taking the goods and one of receiving it in 1820. The initial plan was to dredge a deeper channel along the southern edge of Breydon Water, but the scheme was opposed by the people of Yarmouth. A more expensive scheme, involving the construction of a new cut to link the River Yare to the River Waveney, together with a channel betweenOulton Broad andLake Lothing, where asea lock was needed, was also opposed by Yarmouth but formed the basis of a bill presented to Parliament. Anact of Parliament, theNorwich and Lowestoft Navigation Act 1827 (7 & 8 Geo. 4. c. xlii), was passed on 28 May 1827, creating the Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation Company, and the work of construction and dredging of the River Yare and the Oulton Dyke was completed in 1833. The initial capital of £100,000 was inadequate and a further £50,000 was borrowed from theExchequer Bill Loan Commission. The venture was not a commercial success and, with expenditure exceeding income, the Company was unable to repay its loan. TheHaddiscoe Cut was taken over by the Commissioners in 1842 and sold to the railway developer SirSamuel Morton Peto.[7]
The Broads have been a boating holiday destination since the late 19th century. In 1878 smallyachts were available to hire from John Loynes and, with easy access to the area by rail from London, Harry Blake created an agency for yachting holidays in 1908. The first boats were owned by the boatbuilder Ernest Collins ofWroxham, but other boatyards were soon added to the business. The range of boats expanded to include poweredcruisers in the 1930s, and theHoseasons agency was founded soon after theSecond World War. By the 1980s the number of cruisers available for hire was 2,400 but had decreased to around 1,700 by 2004. For conservation reasons there is a strict speed limit enforced on all vessels, to reduce waves eroding the riverbanks. These speed limits are hardwired onto most rental vessels.
The Broads have also been an important centre forracing yachts since the late 19th century, and the design of the boats have included several innovative features, including shortfinkeels and a separaterudder[disputed –discuss]. The design was eventually used on seagoing yachts from the 1960s.[8]
The waterways arelock-free. There are five bridges under which only small cruisers and smaller boats can pass.
The area attracts all kinds of visitors, including ramblers, artists,anglers, andbirdwatchers as well as people "messing about in boats". There are a number of companies hiring boats for leisure use, including both yachts and motor launches. TheNorfolk wherry, the traditional cargo craft of the area, can still be seen on the Broads as some specimens have been preserved and restored.
Ted Ellis, a local naturalist, referred to the Broads as "the breathing space for the cure of souls".[9]
A great variety of boats can be found on the Broads, from Edwardian trading wherries to state-of-the-art electric orsolar-powered boats. The Broads Authority is promoting sustainable boating, and the use of electric boats is being encouraged by the provision of charging points at a number of the mooring sites provided by the Authority.[8]
The Broads largely follows the line of the rivers and natural navigations of the area. There are seven navigable rivers: theRiver Yare and its (direct and indirect)tributaries plus the RiversBure,Thurne,Ant,Waveney,Chet andWensum. There are no longer any operationallocks on any of the rivers (except for Mutford Lock inOulton Broad that links to the saltwaterLake Lothing inLowestoft, Suffolk), and all of the waterways are subject to tidal influence. The tidal range decreases with distance from the sea, with highly tidal areas such asBreydon Water contrasting with effectively non-tidal reaches such as the River Ant upstream ofBarton Broad.
The broads themselves range in size from small pools to the large expanses ofHickling Broad, Barton Broad and Breydon Water. The broads are unevenly distributed, with far more broads in the northern half of Broadland (the Rivers Bure, Thurne and Ant) than in the central and southern portions (the Rivers Yare, Waveney, Chet and Wensum). Individual broads may lie directly on the river, or are more often situated to one side and connected to the river by an artificial channel ordyke.
Besides the natural watercourses of the rivers, and the ancient but artificial broads, there is one more recent navigation canal, the locklessHaddiscoe Cut, which connects the Rivers Yare and Waveney while permitting boats to bypass Breydon Water.
There is also a second navigable link to the sea, via the River Waveney and its link toOulton Broad. Oulton Broad is part of the Broads' tidal system, but is immediately adjacent toLake Lothing, which acts as a harbour forLowestoft and connects to theNorth Sea. Oulton Broad andLake Lothing are connected by Mutford Lock, the only lock on the broads, and which is necessary because of the different tidal ranges and cycles in the two lakes.
TheRiver Bure is a tributary of theRiver Yare which rises nearAylsham inNorfolk and joins the Yare just downstream ofBreydon Water. On its way it flows through or passes:
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TheRiver Thurne is atributary of theRiver Bure. It rises nearMartham Broad and flows for about six miles (9.7 km) to Thurne Mouth where it joins the Bure. It is wide open and windswept, and on its way it flows through or passes:
TheRiver Ant is atributary of theRiver Bure. It rises atAntingham and joins the Bure atSt. Benet's Abbey. It is winding and narrow, and on its way it flows through or passes:
TheRiver Yare rises south ofDereham and flows through the southern fringes of the city ofNorwich, passes throughBreydon Water and flows into the sea betweenGreat Yarmouth andGorleston. On its way it passes through:
TheRiver Chet is atributary of theRiver Yare. It flows through, or passes by:
TheRiver Waveney is a tributary of theRiver Yare, joining that river just upstream ofBreydon Water. It flows through, or passes by:
TheRiver Wensum rises near Fakenham in northwest Norfolk and flows southeast and through the centre of the city of Norwich before joining theRiver Yare just to the east of the city. Although the Wensum is the larger of the two rivers at their confluence, it is regarded as a tributary of the River Yare. The navigable section of the river is entirely urban and runs from the centre of Norwich, pastNorwich Cathedral to the confluence with the Yare.
TheTrinity Broads are an exception to the general rule, in that whilst they are connected to each other they have no navigable connection to the rest of the broads. The broads are:
Eutrophication is an enormous problem in the Broads. Changes in farming practices andsewage disposal in the 1950s and 1960s released high levels ofphosphorus andnitrogen into the Broads, causing eutrophication.[10]Algal blooms can be toxic, posing a health risk to humans and wildlife.[11] Mass decay of plant matterremoves oxygen, damaging fish stocks, preventing recreational fishing. The loss of larger plants and reed fringes in eutrophic waters increases erosion of banks and the buildup ofsediment on lake floors.[12] This impedes navigation and requires costly dredging to remove. The beauty of the area is damaged by eutrophication, which is detrimental to the tourism industry. The Broads Authority and Environment Agency have been working to return the broads to a more natural state since the problem was identified in 1965.[10]
The first stage in reversing eutrophication in the Broads is to reducephosphate input. Reducingnitrate input would have a similar effect, but due to the relatively highersolubility of nitrates, it is harder to control.[12] The discharge of treated sewage was recognised as the main source of phosphates in the waters of the broads. Iron compounds have been used toprecipitate phosphates out of treated sewage in all ninetreatment plants upstream of Barton Broad, initially cutting phosphorus levels in sewage discharge by 90%.[10] High levels of phosphate can remain present in the sediments at the bottom of waterways, preventing dissolved levels decreasing, even when the source is eliminated.Suction dredging has been used across the Broads to both deepen waterways and remove phosphate-richsludge. Without stabilising the compactedpeat beneath the sludge, the peat loosens and can release phosphorus at a similar rate. The growth of larger water plants, which stabilise the floor, is, therefore, necessary to complete the transformation.[10]
Even with reduced nutrient levels,algae tend to remain dominant, blocking light and preventing plants from growing on the floor of the waterway. By manipulating the food chain, a process calledbiomanipulation, algae can be removed. To allowzooplankton to thrive,planktivorous fish have been largely removed from some Broads, normally byelectrofishing. Around 75% of such fish must be removed for successful treatment.[10] The explosion of zooplankton that results eats almost all algae, creating clear waters. Plants are allowed to naturally recolonise the clearer waterways. The plant growth stabilises the floor, reducing the release of phosphorus. Their own nutrient uptake reduces nutrients available to algae. Larger plants also create a favourable environment for predatory fish such aspike, which eat planktivorous fish, continuing to control their numbers. These effects tend to create a stable ecosystem where low growing underwater plants dominate.[10]
The Broads are Britain's largest protectedwetland and are home to a wealth of birdlife. Amongst the species seen aremallard,coot,moorhen,great crested grebe,greylag goose,Canada goose,Egyptian goose,grey heron,marsh harrier,cormorant,kestrel,sparrowhawk andbittern.[citation needed] The scarceCetti's warbler breeds in the broads and breedingcommon cranes are found in the area.[citation needed]
Among the rare insects are theNorfolk hawker, a species ofdragonfly, and theSwallowtail butterfly (Papilio machaon subsp.britannicus).[13]
Some of the broads are surrounded byfens, i.e.reed andsedge beds. Norfolk reed from the broads has been a traditional material forthatching houses.
Specific parts of the Broads have been awarded a variety ofconservation designations, for instance:
A specific project being considered under theUK Biodiversity Action Plan is the re-introduction of thelarge copper butterfly, whose habitat has been reduced by reduction offens.
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52°43′27″N1°38′27″E / 52.72417°N 1.64083°E /52.72417; 1.64083
