For nearly two decades, the Online Marine Registry (OMReg) has provided freely available information on completed habitat creation projects. We regularly update the database to ensure it remains a valuable and relevant resource for those seeking to understand more about coastal adaptation and habitat restoration. 

In our latest update, we have made the boundary shapefiles for British managed and unmanaged realignments available to download. These shapefiles show the location and extent of areas where the coast has been realigned to improve flood protection and to restore or create intertidal habitats.

The shapefiles can be used to understand the extent of past work and to inform coastal managers, regulators, advisers, and developers about where these sites are situated. This can be especially helpful where they delivered compensation under the Habitats Regulations, because they are treated as protected under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). 

This data can now be used for example in the Environment Agency’s Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) programme, or in Natural England’s new Habitat Creation Spatial Audit, which identifies existing areas of habitat creation and restoration that are contributing towards nature recovery.

We created these boundary shapefiles from our own knowledge and available third-party information. Accurate, site-specific information often is not available, so the boundaries, while the best available, must be treated as guides. National auditing processes are still required for clarifying the boundaries of these sites and the lessons from them.