The first is 100 acres of environmentally sensitive coastal grazing marsh at Tournerbury Farm, running along the western shore of the harbour on Hayling Island. This important site will now be protected by the Trust for the long term to ensure it provides environmental protection for the harbour, its landscape, biodiversity and wildlife.
The second is a smaller site - Marina Farm in Emsworth. This 2.5-acre site is close to Emsworth marina. Over many years this site has become derelict with dilapidated buildings and is an eyesore within the protected landscape. The Trust intends to clear the site and create an environmentally friendly wildlife site for the community and to preserve the public right of way that runs through it. This community model has been used successfully on two other Trust sites within the AONB.
These acquisitions now mean that the Trust holds 15 sites within the Chichester Harbour AONB covering over 375 acres. The long-term protection of these environmentally sensitive sites is playing a significant role in protecting the Harbour.
John Nelson, Chair of the Chichester Harbour Trust, said, “These acquisitions have been made possible by the generosity of donors to the Trust. In particular, they would not have been possible without the launch of our Fighting Fund campaign six months ago. This fund has now accumulated around half of its £1.5 million target. Given the outgoings on these recent land acquisitions we will be redoubling our fundraising efforts to ensure we remain in a strong position to continue our work protecting Chichester Harbour “
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