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

River Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

or its estuary in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. 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 Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, 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 () is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England (from North Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire) and South Wales (from Cardiff, Newport to Monmouthshire). Its very h ...

. These include

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, Newport and

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

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 () 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 for Wales, a post wh ...

addressed the possibility of substantial development and new infrastructure in the

area, south east Wales and

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

. 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, and in other matters relating to the

Severn estuary The Severn Estuary () is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England (from North Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire) and South Wales (from Cardiff, Newport to Monmouthshire). Its very h ...

as a whole. The term " Severnside Derby" is sometimes given to

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

matches between Cardiff City (in Wales) and Bristol City (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 Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

and

, the term "Severnside" is sometimes used for that area. It often refers to the area administered by Avon County Council between 1974 and 1996, which some organisations now refer to as " The West of England" and others as "

Greater Bristol Greater Bristol is a term used for the conurbation which contains and surrounds the city of Bristol in the South West England, South West of England. There is no official "Greater Bristol" authority, but the term is sometimes used by local, regi ...

". The Avon Valuation Tribunal was renamed the Severnside Valuation Tribunal in 1996. The Severnside Community Rail Partnership 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 and

Severn Beach Severn Beach is a village on the Severn Estuary in South Gloucestershire, England. The eastern portal of the Severn Tunnel is on the outskirts of the village. The River Severn, Severn footpathon the sea wallis part of the Severn Way that leads fro ...

, where

Imperial Chemical Industries Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British Chemical industry, chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain. Its headquarters were at Millbank in London. ICI was listed on the London Stock Exchange ...

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 centres in the United Kingdom, out-of-town shopping and leisure facilitie ...

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, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

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

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

, Severnside Housing is a social housing company which operates the former council housing stock in the former borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham. (The River Severn runs through both

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

and

Atcham Atcham is a village, ecclesiastical parish and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Shropshire, England. It lies on the B4380 (once the A5 road (Great Britain), A5), 5 miles south-east of Shrewsbury. The River Severn flows round the villag ...

Use of the term within Wales

Monmouthshire County Council Monmouthshire County Council (or simply Monmouthshire Council) () is the governing body for the Monmouthshire principal area – one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The current unitary authority was created in 1996 and covers the eastern ...

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 () 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 of Monmouthshire ...

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