LOCAL politicians have expressed mixed views on the controversial £15 billion Severn Barrage from Lavernock Point to Somerset - which moved a step closer to becoming a reality this week.

The government's Business and Enterprise Secretary John Hutton announced at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth last week that a new study on the sustainability of the barrage scheme will be carried out.

And this week the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) published a report endorsing the scheme.

It said harnessing tidal power could provide the UK with a source of clean energy into the 22nd century.

The commission anticipates the planning process for the scheme may take up to seven years, and the barrage may not be completed until 2027 - but it could be operational for up to 120 years.

Sully and Lavernock councillor Anthony Ernest said: "This is a rolling stone that is gathering speed by the day.

"The government has not even had the courtesy to speak to the local councils affected, let alone any form of preliminary consultation with those people whose lives will be totally disrupted.

"This will be a decade-long project that will see huge swathes of lush countryside ripped up, together with civil engineering works that will dwarf any that have previously taken place in either Wales or the West Country."

Plaid Cymru AM Chris Franks, a Dinas Powys resident, said: "Plaid Cymru has concerns about the ecological impact of the project and we are very keen to see that potential alternatives are properly explored.

"There would obviously be a great deal disruption from the construction of the scheme if it were to go ahead.

"There are also concerns about the loss of local countryside to additional development.

"We have tremendous natural resources in Wales and a responsibility to use them in the best possible way."

Environmental groups have also criticised the proposals.

Friends of the Earth Cymru claim a barrage would block the development of more cost effective, environmentally-friendly and powerful renewable energy schemes on the estuary.

The group proposes the use of tidal lagoons - artificially created offshore pools with turbines driven by water flow as the tide rises and falls.

The group says tidal lagoons could generate up to 60% more energy than a barrage, would not block shipping routes and would integrate well with other renewable energy schemes without destroying internationally important bird feeding grounds.

Meanwhile the World Wildlife Fund Cymru said a barrage would open up a 'Pandora's Box' of developments, endangering key habitats and species on the estuary.

But Vale of Glamorgan MP, John Smith, welcomed the support for the tidal barrage by the Sustainable Development Commission.

He said: "I've always been an avid supporter of the project.

"I believe that we must take action to safeguard our energy supply and also fight climate change by finding new carbon free ways of generating electricity.

"If the study shows that the barrage is feasible - and satisfactory environmental and social safeguards can be built into the project - I believe that it will provide a great boost to the South Wales economy."

And Secretary of State for Wales, Peter Hain, who visited the proposed site last week, hailed the barrage as the largest and most exciting project of its kind in the UK.

He said: "It is a real trailblazer for clean, green energy."

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