Goldcliff to Chepstow Name
Welsh seascapes and their sensitivity to offshore developments No: 50 Regional Seascape Unit Goldcliff to Chepstow Name: Newport Wetlands (Photo by Kevin Dupé,©CCW) Looking across to England (Photo by Kevin Dupé,©CCW) Extensive sand flats in the estuary (Photo by Charles Lindenbaum ©CCW) Severn Bridge (Photo by Ian Saunders ©CCW) 1 Welsh seascapes and their sensitivity to offshore developments No: 50 Regional Seascape Unit Goldcliff to Chepstow Name: Seascape Types: TSLR Key Characteristics A relatively linear, reclaimed coastline with grass bund sea defences and extensive sand and mud exposed at low tide. An extensive, flat hinterland (Gwent Levels), with pastoral and arable fields up to the coastal edge. The M4 and M48 on the two Severn bridges visually dominate the area and power lines are also another major feature. Settlement is generally set back from the coast including Chepstow and Caldicot with very few houses directly adjacent, except at Sudbrook. The Severn Estuary has a strong lateral flow, a very high tidal range, is opaque with suspended solids and is a treacherous stretch of water. The estuary is a designated SSSI, with extensive inland tracts of considerable ecological variety. Views from the coastal path on bund, country park at Black Rock and the M4 and M48 roads are all important. Road views are important as the gateway views to Wales. All views include the English coast as a backdrop. Key cultural associations: Gwent Levels reclaimed landscape, extensive historic landscape and SSSIs, Severn Bridges and road and rail communications corridor. Physical Geology Triassic rocks with limited sandstone in evidence around Sudbrook.
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