Transparency data: Goodwin Sands Aggregate Dredging Scheme

On 19 May 2016 Dover Harbour Board (DHB) submitted an application to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) for a marine licence to carry out aggregate dredging at Area 521, known as the South Goodwin Sands.

The original application proposed the dredging of a maximum total of 3,750,000 tonnes of aggregate within the South Goodwin Sands sandbank system using trailer suction hopper dredgers to provide material for land reclamation works and berth construction works as part of the wider Dover Western Docks Revival project.

A public consultation was started on 9 June 2016 and ended on 20 July 2016.

The MMO requested further information from DHB to assess the impacts of the proposed dredging. A further public consultation on this additional information started on 6 October 2016 and ended on 16 November 2016.

On 20 December 2016 the MMO requested additional information from Dover Harbour Board to assess the impacts of the proposed dredging. A further consultation on this additional information started on 17 August 2017 and ended on 28 September 2017.

The application for a marine licence was updated in Autumn 2017 to:

• reduce the volume of material required;
• reduce the proposed dredge area; and
• alter the timeline of the indicative dredging programme.

Between Autumn 2017 and July 2018 the MMO has been taking necessary steps to ensure that the process to assess the proposed development was in compliance with the Marine Works (EIA) Regulations 2007 (as amended) and Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, amongst other relevant legislation. This included taking into account relevant representations made as part of the consultation process and obtaining guidance from our primary advisers.

On 26 July 2018 the MMO announced it had granted a marine licence giving DHB permission to extract up to 3 million tonnes of aggregate by trailer suction hopper dredging, which is proposed to be undertaken between September 2019 and September 2020.

In reaching its decision the MMO has considered Section 69 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, in particular the need to protect the environment, the need to prevent interference with legitimate uses of the sea and other such relevant matters. The MMO has taken into account the evidence provided; the comprehensive consultations; and the clear conclusions of the EIA Consent Decision on individual issues, which includes consideration of the nature of the proposed activity (the campaign of dredging) and the likely significant effects both individually and cumulatively in reaching its marine licence decision.

The EIA Consent Decision document included on this page explains the steps taken by the MMO in reaching its EIA Decision and subsequent Marine Licence determination, and the evidence on which its conclusions were based.

All relevant documentation, including the updated marine licence application, further information requests and responses and representations received following the first and second consultation period, is available from the MMO marine licensing public register (case reference is MLA/2016/00227).

For more information contact the Marine Licensing Team. Phone: 0300 123 1032 or email: marine.consents@marinemanagement.org.uk.