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2nd August 2007 - Sand Dredging Update from The Gower Society
"...the National Assembly
has just given permission (Jane Davidson the Minister who is supposed
to be looking after, amongst other things, Sustainability) for the Llanelli
Sand Dredging Company to take 150,000 tonnes of sand a year, from the
Helwick Bank over 7 years. The only good thing is that this amount /
duration is at the lower end of what they wanted.
Please convey our (i.e. the Gower Society who spear-headed the campaign
against dredging + Save our Sands) most grateful thanks to all those
who helped us both with their letters and with financial support - it
was so heartening to have so much local support. After all, it is us
locals who saw what was happening on our beaches."
This is the official press release from the Minister's department:
HELWICK BANK DREDGING DECISION ISSUED After careful consideration of an Inspector's report, the Welsh Assembly Government has decided that dredging from Helwick Bank should be permitted for a restricted period of seven years, subject to stringent monitoring and review. The application, by Llanelli Sand Dredging Ltd, sought approval to dredge 300,000 tonnes of sand each year for 15 years. The Inspector's report, which followed a public inquiry into the application, recommended allowing 150,000 tonnes each year for ten years. The decision taken will allow 150,000 tonnes each year for seven years. The Inspector also recommended conditions designed to monitor the effects of dredging on the Bank, on beaches, and on other features of environmental importance. Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing, Jane Davidson, said: "I understand the intense interest which has been generated by this proposal. It involves a number of sensitive issues, given the importance of dredging and the environmental qualities of Gower. "I wanted to come to the right decision, not the quickest one, and in so doing I have had to consider the economic need for aggregates, the effects of dredging on Helwick Bank, and the possible effects on other features of environmental importance and, of course, on Gower beaches. "The Assembly Government's positive view on this application is dependent on the company complying with all the conditions set out in the decision letter. Should the Crown Estate decide to permit dredging, Assembly Government officials will ensure that all those conditions are met. If they are not, appropriate enforcement action will be taken." Notes |
Press release from Martin Caton (MP) and Edwina Hart (AM) for Gower
Martin Caton PRESS RELEASE Gower politicians dismayed at dredging decision Labour’s Martin Caton MP and Edwina Hart AM, who represent the constituency of Gower, have said that they are “dismayed and very surprised” at the recommendation of the Planning Inspector to allow 150,000 tonnes of aggregate to be dredged from Helwick Bank every year. They also stated that they were dismayed that the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing had gone along with this advice, though they welcomed the fact that she had reduced the period of the licence from ten to seven years. Mr. Caton said, “This is a blow to Gower where we have seen considerable sand loss from some of our finest beaches in recent years. The Inspector, clearly, agreed with Llanelli Sand Dredging Ltd (the dredging company seeking the extended licence) that this could not be attributed to dredging at Helwick Bank. “We have always argued that, as we know from previous research, that there is sand movement between Helwick and beaches like Port Eynon, then it is not unreasonable to suspect that taking sand from Helwick Bank will have a negative impact on those beaches. In those circumstances the ‘Precautionary Principle’ should be applied and a decision made to remove the risk. At the Inquiry, the evidence of sand loss and the reasons for the dredging link were made powerfully by a wide range of organisations and individuals, including Edwina Hart and myself. We believed, and continue to believe, that our case was sound and should have won the day.” Mrs. Hart added, “Sometimes these issues are portrayed as a choice between environment and economy. In this case, as far as Gower is concerned, the threat from more dredging is to both our beautiful environment and to the economy, in terms of visitor numbers. Of course, there’s more to Gower than its beaches and we will continue to encourage the development of sustainable tourism here. But it cannot be denied that the quality of our coastline is the jewel in Gower’s crown. This decision does not help us protect it.” -ends- For more information contact Martin
Caton MP on 01792-892100 |
July 2006 - Letter from The Gower Society/Save Our Sands Coalition
The Public Inqiry has now finished, after three
(feels like thirty) weeks.
Below I attach a note I have to the main participants at the Inquiry,
and their efforts really have been phenominal. But behind them has been
the knowledge that practically every Community Council in Gower (and
some from further afield) has been behind the case.
We thank you all very much indeed for the tremendous 'moral' support,
for the huge financial support and for the presence of some of your
members who attended small or large parts of the Inquiry itself. Every
letter of support has been passed to the Inspector and forms part of
the body of evidence that he will be reviewing in the next few weeks.
He expects to report around 21 August, and then WAG will make their
final decision at some unspecified time after this.
We can be proud of bringing together so many people in opposition to
the dredging - almost all the Community Councils of Gower (and some
beyond), the National Trust, CPRW, Civic Trust for Wales, The Gower
Society, Save Our Sands, all our elected Assembly and Parliamentary
representatives and a large number of interested individuals.
It has been a huge effort for Gower and a huge effort by Gower.
Malcolm & Ruth Ridge
Gower Society
and GS/SOSD Coalition
"It seems a very long time since our first meeting, the Pre-Inquiry
meeting and the last long three weeks.
I think we can be proud of what we have achieved. Clearly, we won't
know the results for some weeks, or even months;but the work of individuals
in the Coalition, some of it stretching back to 1996, and concentrated
in the last few weeks, has been a massive 'tour de force', a collection
of evidence, personal, emotive, logical and scientific, that few groups
could have matched up to.
Today feels a bit like the post-exam period, when you think of all the
answers you could have written and didn't. The reality, however, is
that we put forward a strong case that, hopefully, the Inspector will
have appreciated, despite the vast sums of money spent by LSDL in fabricating
a case, and the doubly unfortunate case of CCW's barrister's illness/bereavement
and C&CS's change of mind.
We asked Edwina Hart about whether we should continue lobbying WAG -
she replies that, while it is not improper to do so, she cannot see
it as being productive in view of the Minister's press release (Oct
2005) that the Public Inquiry was established because of "the great
concern among Gower residents and visitors about the impact on coastal
beaches".
So, A HUGE THANK YOU to all who gave evidence and those who supported
the ones who gave evidence.
We await the 21 August, and even more importantly, WAG's decision. If
you feel a meeting in the meantime would be useful, please let me know
and we can arrange it."
March 29th 2006
Helwick Bank Sand Dredging – Public Inquiry
As you are aware, a Public Inquiry is to be held in regard to the latest application to dredge sand from Helwick Bank. Llanelli Sand Dredging Ltd. (a subsidiary of a Dutch company) wants to double its annual extraction from Helwick, and is asking for a fifteen-year licence: three times longer than its latest approval.
A coalition of The Gower Society, Save out Sands and other groups and individuals is determined to fight any further dredging until the company can prove that the damage to our beaches is not caused by their dredging.
Public inquiries cost money. Arguing at a public inquiry, that dredging off the Helwick Bank should stop, will not come cheaply. Expert witnesses and legal advisers, however sympathetic to the cause, still need to be paid. While our own knowledge and experience is important, proper scientific research and statistical analysis is the sort of evidence an inquiry requires.
Because the inquiry is probably the last opportunity for a generation to halt dredging from the Helwick Bank, the Gower Society has joined with SOS (Save Our Sands) and others, in a public appeal to help with the costs of mounting a proper case at the inquiry.
Gower
Society SOS Fighting Fund
Please help if you can. If you are able to contribute, please send a
cheque (payable to The Gower Society, marked for the Public Inquiry
account) to our Treasurer:
Prof. John Beardmore, 153 Derwen Fawr Road,
Swansea SA2 8ED.
You can download a form to print and accompany your cheque by clicking
here
Thank you for your support.
February 2006 (extract from Port Eynon CC's newsletter)
The sand dredging Public Inquiry
The Council has decided to submit a statement
of evidence to this Inquiry, the date and location of which has yet
to be determined.
The issue that has been put to the Planning Inspectorate is whether
to grant a 15 year licence to Llanelli Sand Dredging Ltd (LSDL) to dredge
up to 300,000 tonnes of sand a year from the Helwick Bank. The Helwick
is a sand bank running all along the coast between Port Eynon and the
Worms Head. At the Port Eynon end it is about 1km off shore and at the
Worms Head it is about 4kms off shore. LSDL have had licences to dredge
sand from the Bank since 1993 and during this time they have been removing
roughly 100,000 tonnes per year, less in some years. Prior to 1993 there
was a licence granted to Burry Sand Company and they removed an estimated
750,000 tonnes of sand between 1964 and 1990.
First we want everyone in the Community to know that this Inquiry is
about to happen so they can produce evidence if they wish to. There
is a deadline for the submission of evidence and it is 2nd March 2006.
Any submissions should be sent to Mr M. Crahart, The Planning Inspectorate,
Crown Buildings, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ or email meical.crahart@pins.gsi.gov.uk
Second we want to give local people the opportunity to hear about the
evidence that has been produced so far and if they wish to contribute
to the evidence the Community Council will submit. To help with this
the Council has booked Port Eynon village hall for
the period 2pm to 4pm on Sunday 19th February and 10am
to 12 noon on Monday 20th February. During these times the
Hall will be manned and relevant documents will be available for scrutiny.
It will also be possible, we hope, to make electronic copies of any
photos you may have which support the case for damage to the beaches
during the dredging operations ie since 1960.
If you have objected before or signed petitions please do not assume that your previous objections will be taken into account. If you object please make your feelings known. It is probably your last chance for the next 15 years.
January 2006
URGENT - Time to
dig out your old photos of Gower
As part of the investigation into whether off-shore dredging is affecting our beaches, we have been asked if we can provide any photographic evidence of sand level change in Oxwich, Horton, Port Eynon, Mewslade, Fall Bay and Rhossili. We are not just looking for panoramic views of the bays but also more detailed views such as group photos that show sand levels against identifiable rocks. If you have any photos of any of these venues that can be dated (even if it to the level of a month/season of a particular year) we would be very interested in copying them.
The Gower Society will be in Port Eynon in the
middle of February (date and time to be confirmed) giving you the opportunity
to bring your photos to be scanned or electronically copied. There will
also be an email address to which the photos (that is JPEG files at
approximately 300x300 resolution) can be emailed to.
December 2005
Letter from The Gower Society to all Community Councils on Gower
Llanelli Sand Dredging Co have been taking sand from the Helwick Bank
since the early 1990s. Over this period, sand has been lost from Gower
beaches, particularly Port Eynon and Horton - how far this was "cause
and effect' or coincidental is difficult (impossible?) to prove. The
Gower Society with Save Our Sands, community councils and individuals
had a very active and well -publicised campaign to stop dredging from
Helwick. Our basic argument was that no more sand should be taken until
the dredging company could show beyond reasonable doubt that the beach
loss was not due to the dredging activity.
WAG'S position was somewhat different: they adopted what they called a 'precautionary approach', which meant allowing the dredging to continue, while monitoring the effect (not very thoroughly in our view) with a promise to end dredging if and when beach damage was proven to be caused by it.
A final decision on Llanelli Dredging Co's latest
application for licence renewal has been awaited for a couple of years
and the SOS campaign was in a sort of limbo and quietened down considerably.
Earlier this year, through the kind offices of Edwina Hart, we secured
a meeting with the Minister, Carwyn Jones, where we pressed the case
again. He asked for photographic evidence, which previously we had been
told was inadmissible. This was sent to him and (whether as a result
of the meetings and
photos, or not, we don't know) he has announced that a Public Inquiry
will be held sometime in the next six months.
THIS IS PROBABLY THE LAST CHANCE FOR A GENERATION, TO END THE DREDGING. Although I am writing to you from The Gower Society, this is not only - and not even mainly - a Gower Society issue or campaign; it is one that affects Gower as a whole, and the campaign over the last decade has involved very many groups and individuals.
I would ask all Community Councils to consider
how they might prepare for and argue a case at the Public Inquiry, either
as individual councils, or with a shared approach, or by linking with
others involved in putting the case to end dredging so close to Gower's
beaches.
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