The Environment Agency, in partnership with The Greatham Foundation and Northumbrian Water, has completed the Greatham Marsh Restoration Scheme in Hartlepool. This £4.5 million project has restored the original course of Greatham Beck and removed a tidal barrier, allowing the tide to return to an area that had been won from the sea over 200 years ago.
The restoration work will enable 21.3 hectares of coastal saltmarsh, mudflat, and high tide roosts to re-establish through natural processes. This will provide crucial habitat for internationally important species such as curlews and avocets, and improve water quality.
This new section is part of the wider £30 million Tees Tidelands Programme, which aims to realign flood defences, restore intertidal and river habitats, and reconnect tributaries and local communities with the estuary. Northumbrian Water contributed £2.086 million to the Greatham Marsh project.