UK Coastal Zone

A decision is expected today on planning permission for Scotland's first offshore wind farm. The £200m wind farm would be sited at Robin Rigg, a sandbank midway between the Galloway and Cumbrian coasts.

The plan has been opposed by many local people on environmental grounds. The developers - Offshore Energy Resources Limited - say the environmental impact will be "minimal".

Marine scientists have contacted an American university in the hope of identifying a 25-ton humpback whale that has taken up residence in the Firth of Forth. The Cetacean Rescue Unit (CCRU) is using photographs of its tail markings to be compared against the university's catalogue of individuals.

The Government is to seek a no-fishing zone to protect a coral field off the north coast of Scotland. Emergency powers will be used to protect the Darwin Mounds which were discovered in 1998.

The wreck of the cargo ship that sank carrying 2,862 luxury cars could languish in the English Channel for another five months.

The 50,000 tonne Tricolor collided with the Kariba on December 14 in shallow water off Dunkirk, one of the busiest stretches of the Channel.

A tidal power generator is to be built in the Severn Estuary where it will produce enough electricity to power 500 houses, and could be enlarged to power a medium sized town.

The Government and the Welsh Development Agency have decided to fund the £1.5 million project after a pilot scheme in the Milford Haven waterway proved successful. The pilot project is now powering a boat yard in the Pembrokeshire Coast national park.

The first recorded lighthouse was the Pharos of Alexandria. Built in 3rd Century BC by Ptolemy, the light was provided by huge fires burnt at the top of the 150 metre high tower. In Britain the oldest lighthouse is believed to be the Old Lighthouse in the grounds of Dover Castle, built by the Romans.

Lighthouses, due to their locations, present some of the most dramatic photographs on the Images of England website. There are over a hundred lighthouses listed on the site, some accompanied by photographs. Here, just two lighthouses are featured to illustrate their fascinating history.

A new study suggests Britain should reconsider plans to build a huge tidal barrier across the Severn Estuary to generate renewable power. 16 years ago the scheme was shelved because it was uneconomic, but engineers from Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd. suggest it should be reassessed because costs have fallen and it would help Britain meet its targets of cutting emissions of carbon dioxide. In the past the scheme ran into opposition from environmental groups and local inhabitants.