Steart Peninsula

The Steart Peninsula (gbmapping|ST274459) is a peninsula in Somerset, England. At its outermost tip is Fenning Island, at the tip of which is Steart Point. It consists largely of low-lying flat farmland, and projects northwards on the west side of Stockland Reach, the lower stretches of the estuary of the River Parrett.

The Bridgwater Bay National Nature Reserve lies to the north of the peninsula, and on the south side of the bay are three coastal commons - from west to east these are Catsford Common, Wall Common and Steart Common.

The main settlement on the peninsula is the village of Steart, but two other villages, Stockland Bristol and Otterhampton sit at the peninsula's base. A single minor road links the village of Steart to these other villages. The River Parrett Trail runs along the peninsula.

West of the peninsula are the village of Stolford and Hinkley Point, and to the south is the village of Combwich.

The Steart peninsula has flooded many times during the last millennium. The most severerecent floods occurred in 1981. By 1997, a combination of coastal erosion, sea level rise and wave action had made someof the defences distinctly fragile and at risk from failure. As a result in 2002 The Environment Agency produced the Stolford to Combwich Coastal Defence Strategy Study to examine options for the future. [cite web |url=http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/acrobat/stolford_to_combwich.pdf.pdf |title=Stolford to Combwich Coastal Defence Strategy Study |accessdate=2007-10-31 |format=PDF |work=Environment Agency ]

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