• About us

  • The Crown Estate is a diverse property business valued at more than £7 billion. We have been trusted to manage a wide range of properties across the UK including commercial and retail properties. In the country, it includes agricultural land, parkland and forestry. It includes shopping centres, business parks, farms and housing. And we have over half the foreshore and almost all of the seabed around the UK.

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  • We hope you're here because you believe your talents and experience match the exciting opportunities which exist in our unique organisation.

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• Urban

  • The Crown Estate's urban portfolio comprises a wide and varied mix of properties ranging from modern purpose-built offices, retail and shopping centres to Grade I listed buildings.

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    Retail

    Prime retail is one of our core sectors.

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• Marine

  • We manage virtually the entire seabed out to the 12 nautical mile territorial limit, as well as around half of the foreshore.

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    Aggregates

    Our estate includes the rights to explore and utilise the mineral interests of the UK continental shelf.

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• Energy

  • The Crown Estate is a key player in supporting the delivery of a diverse and secure energy supply for the UK.

    • Offshore wind energy
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    Offshore wind energy

    As managers of the seabed out to the 12 nm limit, we play a major role in the development of the offshore wind energy industry in the UK.

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• Rural

  • The rural estate comprises the agricultural, mineral and forestry estates in England, Scotland & Wales, as well as residential and commercial property.

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    • Agriculture
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    Agriculture

    Our agricultural interests include both livestock and arable farming over 106,000 hectares (263,000 acres) across the UK.

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• Windsor

  • The Windsor Estate covers approximately 6,400 hectares and includes Windsor Great Park, the Home Park of Windsor Castle, extensive forests, residential and commercial properties, golf courses, a racecourse and let farms.

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    • Parkland
    • Ascot and surrounds
    • Forestry
    • Residential and commercial lettings
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    The Royal Landscape

    Situated in the southeast corner of Windsor Great Park lies The Royal Landscape, featuring the famous Savill and Valley Gardens.

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• Marine
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• Metal detecting
  • Metal detecting permit application
• Minerals potash
• Moorings and marinas
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• Wildfowling
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Seabed and coastal research

Seabed and coastal research

Seabed and coastal research

The aim of our research studies is to provide a greater understanding of seabed and coastal processes, particularly over the long term. The information in the published reports is designed to inform the application process for economic development which may have effects on the seabed or the coast.

The studies incorporate a wide range of topics, from identifying what natural changes are currently occurring, such as coastal erosion on vulnerable coastlines, to historic changes in the location, size and shape of offshore sandbanks. We use historic charts and maps to investigate as far back in the past as possible. The effects of long term climate change are naturally incorporated in such studies and remind us that such climatic variation is not a new phenomenon, but one which has been ongoing for thousands of years following the last Ice Age.

We have adopted a markedly different approach to understanding coastal change. A series of reports have used works of art in assisting the understanding of long term changes. These have been particularly useful in communicating the magnitude and timescales of such changes to coastal communities, who feel potentially at risk from rising sea levels.

Reports

Reports

Lymington Harbour habitat replenishment scheme (2012)
(PDF 3.6 MB) 

A coastal historical resources guide for England (2011) 
(PDF 3.5 MB)

Art and coastal change in East Anglia (2010) 
(PDF 3.3 MB)

Geomorphic evolution of Great Yarmouth coastline (2010) 
(PDF 2.3 MB)

Coastal changes in Suffolk (2010)
(PDF 3.6 MB)

Seabed mobility in the Greater Thames Estuary (2009) 
(PDF 9.7 MB)

Great Yarmouth and Norfolk Bank Systems (2008) 
(PDF 2.9 MB)

Historical changes in the seabed of the Greater Thames Estuary (2008) 
(PDF 4.6 MB)

Art as a tool in support of the understanding of coastal change (2008) 
(PDF 11.3 MB)

Seabed and coastal projects

Seabed & coastal projects

Title	Ongoing/ Complete	Brief description	Main contractor	Co-funders
State of the art for consenting and management of seabed minerals extraction following MALSF	Ongoing	Synthesis of outcomes for consenting and managing minerals as a result of MALSF programme	tbc	N/A
Creation of inter-tidal habitat	Ongoing	Creation of intertidal habitat	Lymington Harbour Trustees	N/A
Sabellaria spinulosa Reef ecology and ecosystem services	Ongoing	A study of the life cycle and traits of the reef-building worm Sabellaria spinulosa	MES	N/A
Evolution of the Humber estuary	Ongoing	Study of historical changes in the estuary	NMM	N/A
Evolution of the Lincolnshire coastline	Ongoing	Study of historical changes in coastline	NMM	N/A
Coastal change in Norfolk	Ongoing	Community outreach - art as a tool in understanding coastal change	UEA Sainsbury Centre	N/A
Coastal historic resources guide for England	Completed	Identification of sources of historical coastal change resources for 6 English coastal regions	Coastal & Geotech Serv.	N/A
Coastal change in Suffolk	Completed	Community outreach - art as a tool in understanding coastal change	SCDC	N/A
Coastal change in East Anglia	Completed	Collation and grading of art resources as evidence and context setting for coastal impact studies - East Anglia	Coastal & Geotech Serv.	N/A

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