Pat Gowen – Even more offshore aggregate dredging threatens the East Anglian coast! – Nov 2013

Currently this year already three new marine aggregate dredging licence applications to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) have been issued (MLA/2013/00119, MLA/2013/00306 and MLA/2013/00338) all of these for Hanson Aggregates Ltd. who wish to dredge even more aggregate from the seabed offshore from Great Yarmouth, a total of 86 million tonnes (ca. 54 million cubic metres) over the next 15 years. All these can be seen on the MMO website: https://marinelicensing.marinemanagement.org.uk/mmo/fox/live/MMO_PUBLIC_REGISTER/

Now Volker Dredging has filed a new planning application for the Great Yarmouth offshore area (MLA2013/00417) situated just 18 km from the coast planning extraction of up to a further 22.5 million tonnes (14 million cubic metres) over the next 15 years. That makes a total of over 108 million tonnes or 68 million cubic metres from these four sites combined!

In the light of past findings and existing evidence (see Scientific Studies Of Dredging Induced Erosion at https://www.marinet.org.uk/campaigns/scientific-studies ) is it possible to even imagine that this level of seabed mining is not having an adverse effect on the coastline and marine ecology in the area? But this is what the marine aggregate companies and their selected advisers would have you believe; and that’s the version of reality that the Marine Management Organisation (who issue the licences) wants to believe too !

Were these applications to be permitted, it would mean further deepening of our offshore seabed, so promoting even larger eroding waves and steepening the seabed slope to enhance further shoreline sand run off loss and consequent erosion.

In the past six months, following storms that disturb the seabed, the huge pits left in the offshore dredged areas have levelled out at the expense of our shoreline. We have lost up to fifteen metres of dune defences and have seen up to four metres of sand depth stripped from our beaches, all along the east coast, from Happisburgh to Felixstowe, so threatening loss of amenity, wildlife, tourist facilities and the imminent loss of many coastal dwellings and businesses.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council, the Parish Councils, Great Yarmouth MP Brandon Lewis, Marinet and many hundreds more are objecting to these proposals. We implore all of you who are reading this to do the same if you wish to see any beaches, coastal properties and seaside amenities remaining in East Anglia.

We have 42 days from the 1st November 2013 to object. Hopefully, if a sufficient number of you do so, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) may just take notice this time and consequently refuse these proposals.

Model objections with some points you may wish to include can be seen at https://www.marinet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Areas-242-361ABC-and-328A-Marinet-to-MMO-13-Oct-13.pdf


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3 Responses to “Pat Gowen – Even more offshore aggregate dredging threatens the East Anglian coast! – Nov 2013”

Pat Gowen
Comment posted on 6th November 2013

David, you wrote “These applications are by what is essentially joint venture partnership with a Dutch company / Are the aggregates for here or there ?”

They are dredging off our coast, sadly. Very severe restrictions on dredging off The Netherlands coastline. I don’t know the destination of their takings. They never say, but normally at least 30% goes to Holland, and often on to Germany, Belgium, etc. from there.

See http://www.marinet.org.uk/campaign-article/the-dutch-defra-and-the-dreaded-dredging and somewhere else on our website that I don’t have the time to hunt for The Dutch are not allowed to dredge as the UK does, and were totally banned from doing so until a few years back.

Thanks for your interest, reagrds and best wishes, Pat

Pat Gowen
Comment posted on 5th November 2013

It would take much time and typing to fully explain the terminology, Brian. Is it possible for you to ring me on 01603402554 some time?

In short for now, the mobile shoreline sand and shingle from a beach slope runs off to the sea, normally when a powerful onshore wind disturbs the sand and it is taken out to the deeper sea by the resultant undertow and gravity.

The capacity of the pits can be calculated from the volume of aggregate removed by the dredging. You will find this data by methodically hunting our website and a lot of calculation. A fishing boats ‘bottom finder’ tells it, as do the Admilitary Hydrographic charts on line.

If you review the numerous scientific reports on this website you will see the evidence showing the erosive impact of offshore aggregate dredging, and if you read my briefing on the topic also on this website that tells the whole story of why this practice is ongoing.

And yes, sediment flow reduction can result due to hard coastal defences by denying deposition on adjacent shorelines by being witheld by hard coastal defences along the coast, as happened at Sea Palling when the downtide Waxham beach was stripped of all sand right down to the marlMaerl Maerl is a collective term for several species of red seaweed, with hard, chalky skeletons. It is rock hard and, unlike other seaweeds, it grows as unattached rounded nodules or short, branched shapes on the seabed. Like all seaweeds, maerl needs sunlight to grow, and it only occurs to a depth of about 20m..

Just have a good read of all the relative content on our MARINET website, which will explain the full situation.

If you have any queries or questions still, do not hesitate to call me on ther ‘phone.

Best wishes, Pat

BrianB
Comment posted on 4th November 2013

Pat,

Can you further explain the term ‘shoreline sand run off loss’? It sounds complicated.

Also, how can you tell that storms ‘have levelled out the huge pits left in the offshore dredged areas’? How big were these pits and how deep?

It sounds almost incomprehensible that anyone would allow dredging to occur if there were a proven link between it and coastal erosion. How do you account for this?

Is it possible that the reduction in sediment input resulting from construction of hard coastal defences along the coast has had more of an effect on the changes in beaches and erosion rates?

Best wishes,

Brian.

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