A MAJOR new wetland reserve on the West Somerset coast supporting thousands of water birds and a range of other wildlife was on course to be given the go ahead yesterday (Thursday).

The creation of mudflats and saltmarsh habitats to the east of Stolford and the north of Stockland Bristol has been put forward by the Bristol Port Company as a compensation scheme.

The company was given consent to construct and operate a new container terminal in Avonmouth to accommodate the largest deep-sea ships just over two years ago.

But building the new facility - regarded as a nationally significant development - will involve some reclamation of the foreshore on which birds currently feed and roost.

And the Steart Peninsula scheme, covering 192 hectares of land, is designed to provide compensatory habitat for wetland birds and other wildlife.

West Somerset Council's planning committee was being recommended at its meeting yesterday to approve the development, which would include a car park and visitor and educational facilities, a single-storey hide and footpaths and multi-use tracks.

But part of the site and all the buildings proposed fall within the Sedgemoor District Council area, which has yet to determine the application.

The Bristol Port Company's scheme is intended to complement a similar development by the Environment Agency and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

Their plans to create one of the UK's largest areas of new wildlife habitat by turning a further 400 hectares of the Steart Peninsula into wildlife-rich habitats, including saltmarsh and freshwater wetland, were given the go ahead earlier this year.

District councillors in West Somerset were due to be told in a report by planning officer Elizabeth Peeks that the proposed wetland would be achieved through a managed realignment of the coastline by deliberate breaching of the existing shingle ridge.

To control the incoming sea, new flood defence embankments would be created to the east of Wall Common and along Steart Drove.

A 4.3 kilometre stretch of new footpath will run along the top of the embankments, becoming the offical diverted West Somerset Coast Path, part of which will be lost by the breach to the shingle ridge.

In addition, there would be wheelchair accessible routes centred around the car park and visitor orientation area, a dedicated bridleway, footpath link to Whitewick Lane and other links with the Environment Agency's scheme to provide an overall integrated system.

An excavated tidal creek system would be created within the area enclosed by the embankment to include four nesting islands topped with shingle, saline lagoons and a regulated tidal exchange area to provide a wet mudflat habitat.

The scheme would also include the construction of two stock pen facilities for commoners - one adjoining Steart Drove and the other to the west of the site near Whitewick Farm.

And a badger sett would be created to the north of the front embankment.

Within the Sedemoor area of the proposal, a new pond would be constructed near Woolstone Farm to create habitat for water voles, with a further two ponds provided for Great Crested Newts.

The long-term maintenance of the new wetland, which is expected to have a lifespan of around 50 years, will be carried out by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Councillors at yesterday's meeting were being recommended to agree and adopt a habitat regulation assessment report which concluded the proposal would not have an adverse impact on the area, and approve the scheme, subject to a raft of conditions.

In her report, Mrs Peeks said the proposal would benefit economic activity because it allowed the provision of the new container port at Avonmouth to be built.

It would also provide enhanced habitats, a footpath network, opportunities to visit the countryside and enjoy the natural environment alongside associated educational benefits.

"The benefits are considered to outweigh the traffic generation impacts and alterations to the landscape brought about by the development," she said.