The Alde-Ore Estuary, of which Hazelwood marshes is an intertidal component, is long and thin with two main sections. The upper estuary, the Alde refers to the area between Snape and Halfway Reach, an area south of Slaughden next to the radio station below Lantern Marshes. The area of the estuary from Halfway Reach to the sea is referred to as the Ore.
Regarding the two sections of the Alde/Ore Estuary, there are features in each that are worth looking at closely regarding dynamic coastal changes with potential to alter nature reserves and landscapes. The first facing out to the sea, just up from Halfway Reach, is Sudbourne Beach. A rapidly eroding shingle spit, with concerns the sea could forge a permanent breach and enter the estuary landscape.
The second area is Havergate island, opposite the village of Orford. In 2018, the RSPB lowered the sea wall to manage storm surges to channel water into certain lagoons.
Each feature like Hazelwood Marshes is in a process of evolution with the sea shaping and remaking each area, with a constant risk forces could impose a permanent detrimental change. At the same time those keen on preserving each area wish to implement plans to retain the features long term physical presence in the estuary. To consider these processes in more detail each area will be discussed in detail starting with Sudbourne Beach.
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