The Broads (known for marketing purposes as The Broads National Park) is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly used to identify specific areas within the two counties respectively, often the whole area is referred to as the Norfolk Broads.

The lakes, known as broads, were formed by the flooding of peat workings. The Broads, and some surrounding land, were constituted as a special area with a level of protection similar to a national park by the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988. The Broads Authority, a special statutory authority responsible for managing the area, became operational in 1989.

The area is , most of which is in Norfolk, with over of navigable waterways. There are seven rivers and 63 broads, mostly less than deep. Thirteen broads are generally open to navigation, with a further three having navigable channels. Some broads have navigation restrictions imposed on them in autumn and winter, although the legality of the restrictions is questionable.

The Broads has similar status to the national parks in England and Wales; the Broads Authority has powers and duties akin to the National Parks but is also the third-largest inland navigation authority. Because of its navigation role the Broads Authority was established under its own legislation, Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988 which came into effect on 1 April 1989. The Broads Authority Act 2009, which was promoted through Parliament by the authority, is intended to improve public safety on the water.

"Broads National Park" name

In January 2015 the Broads Authority approved a change in name of the area to the "Broads National Park", to recognise that the status of the area is equivalent to the English National Parks, that the Broads Authority shares the same two first purposes (relating to conservation and promoting enjoyment) as the English National Park Authorities, and receives a National Park grant.

This followed a three-month consultation which resulted in support from 79% of consultees, including unanimous support from the 14 UK national parks and the Campaign for National Parks. Defra, the Government department responsible for the parks, also expressed it was content that the Authority would make its own decision on the matter.

This is the subject of ongoing controversy among some Broads users who note that the Broads is not named in law as a National Park and claim the branding detracts from the Broads Authority's third purpose which is to protect the interests of navigation. In response to this, the Broads Authority has stated that its three purposes will remain in equal balance and that the branding is simply for marketing the National Park qualities of the Broads.

Management

thumb|Drainage windmills on the Norfolk BroadsThe Broads Authority is the agency which has statutory responsibility for the Broads. The Nature Conservancy Council (now Natural England), pressed for a special authority to manage the Broads which had been neglected for a long time, and in 1978 the forerunner to the present-day Broads Authority was established by the Countryside Commission (now also Natural England). Ten years later it had become clear that a statutory body was needed, and a special Act of Parliament, the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988 (referred to as the Broads Act) made the Broads Authority into a special statutory authority which gave it parity with national park authorities but with special responsibilities for navigation. The Broads Authority Act 2009 introduced greater safety controls on the broads and rivers.

The Broads Authority has to:

  • conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the Broads
  • promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the Broads by the public
  • protect the interests of navigation (as navigation authority)
  • have regard for agriculture and forestry
  • have regard for the economic and social interests of those who live or work in the Broads.

The authority has 21 members, who are appointed. Ten members are chosen by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, two are selected by the authority from its navigation committee, and nine are chosen by the local authorities within which the Broads lie from their own membership. Norfolk County Council appoints two members, and one member is appointed by Suffolk County Council and the district councils of Broadland, Great Yarmouth, North Norfolk, the City of Norwich, South Norfolk, and Waveney. The Broads Authority was formerly represented by one member on the East of England Regional Assembly, now defunct.

History

thumb|[[Mutton's Mill, one of the many historic drainage windpumps on the Norfolk Broads]]

For many years the lakes known as broads were regarded as natural features of the landscape. It was only in the 1960s that Joyce Lambert proved that they were artificial features—flooded medieval peat excavations. In the Middle Ages the local monasteries began to excavate the peatlands as a turbary business, selling fuel to Norwich and Great Yarmouth. Norwich Cathedral took 320,000 tonnes of peat a year. Then the sea levels began to rise, and the pits began to flood. Despite the construction of windpumps and dykes, the flooding continued and resulted in the typical Broads landscape of today, with its reedbeds, grazing marshes and wet woodland.

Various attempts were made to extend the navigable rivers. The longest-lasting was on the River Waveney, where the Rivers Brandon and Waveney Navigation Act 1670 authorised improvements which included three locks, at Geldeston, Ellingham and Wainford. The head of navigation became a new staithe at Bungay. The new section was a private navigation which was not controlled by the Yarmouth Haven and Pier Commissioners, who had responsibility for the rest of the Broadland rivers. It remained in use until 1934 and, although the upper two locks have been replaced by sluices and Geldeston lock is derelict, the Environment Agency have negotiated with local landowners to allow use by canoes and unpowered vessels which can be portaged around the locks.

The next attempt was to extend navigation on the River Bure from Coltishall to Aylsham, which was authorised by an act of Parliament on 7 April 1773. Five locks were built, to bypass mills, at Coltishall, Oxnead Lamas, Oxnead, Burgh and Aylsham. There were financial difficulties during construction, but the works were eventually completed and opened in October 1779. At Aylsham, a cut was made from the river to a terminal basin, where several warehouses were constructed. Despite the arrival of the railways in 1879, goods continued to be carried to Aylsham by wherries until 1912, when major flooding badly damaged the locks. Unable to fund repairs, the Commissioners closed the section above Coltishall, although it was not formally abandoned until 1928.

A great variety of boats can be found on the Broads, from Edwardian trading wherries to state-of-the-art electric or solar-powered boats. The Broads Authority is promoting sustainable boating, and the use of electric boats is being encouraged by the provision of charging points at a number of the mooring sites provided by the Authority. Mass decay of plant matter removes oxygen, damaging fish stocks, preventing recreational fishing. The loss of larger plants and reed fringes in eutrophic waters increases erosion of banks and the buildup of sediment on lake floors. This impedes navigation and requires costly dredging to remove. The beauty of the area is damaged by eutrophication, which is detrimental to the tourism industry. The Broads Authority and Environment Agency have been working to return the broads to a more natural state since the problem was identified in 1965.

The first stage in reversing eutrophication in the Broads is to reduce phosphate input. Reducing nitrate input would have a similar effect, but due to the relatively higher solubility of nitrates, it is harder to control.

Some of the broads are surrounded by fens, i.e. reed and sedge beds. Norfolk reed from the broads has been a traditional material for thatching houses.

Specific parts of the Broads have been awarded a variety of conservation designations, for instance:

  • Special Protection Area (SPA) status for an area named 'Broadland' composed of 28 Sites of Special Scientific Interest
  • Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) status for parts of the Halvergate Marshes
  • National nature reserve (NNR) status for:
  • Bure Marshes NNR
  • Ant Broads & Marshes NNR
  • Hickling Broad NNR
  • Ludham - Potter Heigham NNR
  • Redgrave and Lopham Fen
  • Martham Broad NNR
  • Calthorpe Broad NNR
  • Mid-Yare NNR

A specific project being considered under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan is the re-introduction of the large copper butterfly, whose habitat has been reduced by reduction of fens.

See also

  • The Fens, the area of low-lying once swampy land south of The Wash
  • The children's novels Coot Club and The Big Six, both by Arthur Ransome, are set on the Broads
  • The British film 45 Years (2015), with Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, is set on the Broads
  • Hunsett Windmill
  • Horsey Windpump

References

  • Broads Authority
  • Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988
  • Visit the Broads – Official Tourism site