Foulness Island passing of the Ministry of Defence Act 1946 and the subsequent rationalisation of five agencies in 1971, ownership of the island passed from the War Office to the Ministry of Defence. In 2003, a contract to manage the testing of munitions was awarded to the defence contractors QinetiQ, and they also control access to the island. In the 1850s, the South Essex Estuary and Reclamation Company proposed a grand scheme to reclaim around of land on the Essex coast, which would have included most of Foulness Sands and Maplin Sands. The civil engineer Sir John Rennie produced the plans, and
Foulness Island the Ministry of Defence, and access to the island is only permitted with a pass, obtainable from Shoeburyness. The island's visitor centre is open to the public on the first Sunday in summer months, from April to October inclusive from 12.00 to 16.00 hrs, but permission must be sought to visit. Until 2007, members of the public could visit the island's pub by telephoning ahead; if they had not done so, access would be denied. Foulness is part of the electoral ward called Foulness and Great Wakering. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 5,738. The island