The geographical term Severnside refers to an area adjoining or straddling the

River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

or its estuary in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

. The term is used by different organisations, in different contexts, to refer to quite different areas. The Severn passes through both

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, in some places forming the boundary between the two. Some uses of "Severnside" relate to areas on both sides of the river, and others only to one or other side. It generally refers to the cities on either side of the

Severn Estuary The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...

. These include

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, Newport and

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Use of the term to cover both sides of the estuary

The term has sometimes been used in attempts to coordinate planning and environmental policy across both English and Welsh sides of the estuary. In 1971, ''Severnside: A Feasibility Study'' prepared for the UK

Department of the Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...

and the

Welsh Office The Welsh Office ( cy, Swyddfa Gymreig) was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State f ...

addressed the possibility of substantial development and new infrastructure in the

area, south east Wales and

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. The Standing Conference on Severnside Local Authorities (SCOSLA) was formed in 1982 by a number of local councils in England and Wales with a shared interest in proposals for a

Severn barrage The Severn Barrage is any of a range of ideas for building a barrage from the English coast to the Welsh coast over the Severn tidal estuary. Ideas for damming or barraging the Severn estuary (and Bristol Channel) have existed since the 19t ...

, and in other matters relating to the

Severn estuary The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...

as a whole. The term "

Severnside Derby The Severnside derby is a local derby in football in the United Kingdom between Welsh club Cardiff City and either of the English clubs, Bristol City or Bristol Rovers. Alternatively, it may be between Newport County and either of the Bristol- ...

" is sometimes given to football matches between Cardiff City (in Wales) and

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

(in England).

Use of the term within England

Because there is no consensus over the term which best describes the economic sub-region centred on Bristol and which extends into the historic counties of

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

and

, the term "Severnside" is sometimes used for that area. It often refers to the area administered by

Avon County Council Avon County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Avon in south west England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1974 and was abolished on 1 April 1996 at the same time as the county. The county council was based at Av ...

between 1974 and 1996, which some organisations now refer to as " The West of England" and others as " Greater Bristol". The Avon Valuation Tribunal was renamed the Severnside Valuation Tribunal in 1996. The

Severnside Community Rail Partnership The Severnside Community Rail Partnership is a community rail partnership covering the network of routes radiating from Bristol, bounded by Gloucester, Bath/ Freshford, Weston-super-Mare, Taunton, and the Severn Estuary. It was founded in 2004, ...

is a not-for-profit company established to help improve rail services in the Bristol area. The term is also sometimes used more specifically to refer to the partly undeveloped area north west of Bristol, between

Chittening Chittening is an industrial estate in Avonmouth, Bristol, England, bypassed by the A403 road, near the River Severn. It lies within the city boundary of Bristol, in Avonmouth ward, but used to be beyond it, in historic Gloucestershire, on forme ...

and Severn Beach, where Imperial Chemical Industries built a large chemical plant in the 1960s, known as ICI Severnside. Various proposals for the development of industry, business parks, housing, and/or a sports stadium have been made for this area in the past. The Severnside beat of Avon and Somerset Police covers broadly this area, but also extends to the

Cribbs Causeway Cribbs Causeway is both a road in South Gloucestershire, England, running north of the city of Bristol, and the adjacent area which is notable for its out-of-town shopping and leisure facilities. The retail and leisure complex takes its name fr ...

retail and business area adjoining the

M5 motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...

. A number of voluntary groups in the Severn Beach area also use the term to describe their area of coverage. In

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

, the Severnside Project is an environmental improvement scheme covering the river within the city and immediately adjoining areas. In

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

, Severnside Housing is a social housing company which operates the former council housing stock in the former borough of

Shrewsbury and Atcham Shrewsbury and Atcham was a local government district with borough status in Shropshire, England, between 1974 and 2009. Shrewsbury was the only town in the borough; Atcham, although itself only a village, was included in the name as a reflect ...

. (The River Severn runs through both Shrewsbury and

Atcham Atcham is a village, ecclesiastical parish and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It lies on the B4380 (once the A5), 5 miles south-east of Shrewsbury. The River Severn flows round the village. To the south is the village of Cross Houses and ...

Use of the term within Wales

Monmouthshire County Council Monmouthshire County Council (or simply Monmouthshire Council) ( cy, Cyngor Sir Fynwy) is the governing body for the Monmouthshire principal area – one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The current unitary authority was created in 1996 a ...

administers four area committees, including one for "Severnside" which covers the area around Caldicot and Magor. The Severnside Forum is a multi-organisation forum for the same area. The Severnside neighbourhood policing team of

Gwent Police Gwent Police ( cy, Heddlu Gwent) is a territorial police force in Wales, responsible for policing the local authority areas of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen. The force was formed in 1967 by the amalgamation o ...

also covers a similar area. Abandoned proposals for a "Severnside International Airport" related to an area reclaimed from the estuary close to the Caldicot Levels east of Newport.

References

External links

Severn Estuary Partnership
{{authority control South West England Geography of Wales River Severn