Marine Estate
Coastal: The Crown Estate owns around 55% of the foreshore (between mean high and mean low water) and approximately half of the beds of estuarial areas and tidal rivers in the United Kingdom. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the Crown Estate owns about 2720 kilometres of foreshore out of a total of 5120 kilometres.
Generally the Crown Estate does not sell the freehold of the foreshore, except in a few exceptional circumstances. Instead, the Crown Estate grants leases or licences, of which there are over 2,000 all around the coast. The largest leaseholders are local authorities, ports and harbours and conservation bodies such as English Nature, the National Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Leases for control of conservation or amenity, which do not permit development of land, are granted normally to conservation bodies or local authorities. Through such Regulating Leases, these bodies may control day to day activity and use of undeveloped tidal land. Some 570 kilometres (21%) foreshore is leased specifically for conservation purposes and it is intended to extend this in consultation with English Nature. A great deal more of the coastline is under protective ownership by way of leases to local authorities.
Offshore: The Crown Estate also owns the seabed out to the 12-mile territorial limit, including the rights to explore and exploit the natural resources of the UK Continental Shelf, excluding oil, gas and coal. Leases of easement for pipelines and cables and royalties from the extraction of minerals, principally marine aggregates, are the main sources of revenue from this part of the Estate.
The Crown Estate does not own the water column, oil, gas and coal, or govern public rights such as navigation and fishery over tidal waters.
