Download Marine Aggregates

Towards policy for Dorset’s Coast:
Marine Aggregates
The Dorset Coast Strategy is a voluntary initiative promoted by the Dorset Coast Forum. It aims to achieve integrated
management of the whole of Dorset’s Coast and inshore waters out to the 12-mile limit for the first time.
M
arine dredged and sea-borne aggregates
(sand and gravel) need to be considered as
a possible long-term source for Dorset’s
construction and sea-defence needs. The
supplies, which may be available, include materials
dredged from the sea-bed, and material quarried
elsewhere and imported by ship. Each has
implications for the facilities it needs on the coast,
and possible impacts on the environment and other
uses.
This topic paper:
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Summarises the position and
potential changes within the marine
aggregates sector in Dorset;
• Invites comment from the Dorset
Coast Forum about future planning
and management of aggregates
activity within Dorset’s coastal zone.
Dorset’s Demand for Aggregates
Dorset’s main demand for aggregates arises from the
construction of buildings and roads. The main focus
for demand is within the Bournemouth-Poole
conurbation. However there are a number of
significant development areas dispersed throughout
rural Dorset, particularly within Weymouth, Ferndown
and Dorchester.
There is also a need to protect some areas on the
coast from flooding and erosion, with an increasing
demand for ‘soft’ alternatives to sea-walls. Marine
aggregates offer a source of material to recharge
eroding beaches and have already been used at
Bournemouth Beach, and at Preston Beach in
Weymouth using aggregate from off the Isle of Wight.
This use is discussed in more detail in the topic paper
on Coastal Defence.
A Future Shortfall
In the past Dorset’s demand for construction
aggregates have been mainly met from local quarries.
The County’s minerals and waste local plan has
identified land sources, which will meet the County’s
needs until 2007. However after that date, there
appear to be few ‘constraint-free’ areas suitable to
meet continued demand for gravel, although sites
supplying sand are plentiful. Unless areas of land,
which are currently seen as too sensitive to be
quarried, are used in the future, alternatives need to
be found. (For more information see the notes of the
DCF Autumn Meeting 1997).
Alternative Sources
There are three possible alternative sources of
aggregates, which could meet the shortfall:
• Recycled Material
• Imported Crushed Rock
• Marine Dredged Aggregates
Marine Aggregates Page 1
Aggregate Activity in the Coastal Zone, and who regulates it...
Intertidal
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Land
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The Channel
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Focus for coast protection, demand for beach recharge
Location of wharf sites for import of aggregates
Possible impacts from extraction
Export shipping of
aggregates to Europe
Open Sea (UK Waters)
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Sites for land-based aggregate
extraction
Source of demand for construction
Transport infrastructure for
distribution
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Extraction to meet construction
demand from significant gravel and
sand deposits generally of at least
1metre minimum thickness in water
depths between 15 and 35 metres,
maximum 50 metres.
Extraction for coast protection may
be from shallower deposits near shore
Shipping activity associated with
extraction and transport to port.
English Channel
Median Line
12 Mile Limit
6 Mile Limit
Mean Low Water
Mean High
Water
The Regulators
International
Europe
National
No major involvement
No major involvement
DETR (responsible for overall policy
framework for aggregates on land).
DETR responsible for overall policy framework. Currently regulated by Crown
Estate Licence, subject to favourable Government View. Will be regulated by
DETR in the future. MAFF, English Nature & Environment Agency routinely
consulted on licence applications.
Region
The South West Regional Aggregate
Working Party (SWRAWP), apportions
amount of aggregate to be supplied from
land within each County.
DETR indicates amount of aggregate likely to be
supplied from marine sources within the
Southwest, but this is not apportioned between
Counties. SCOPAC routinely consulted on
licence applications.
County
County and Unitary Councils are
responsible for planning policy (Minerals &
Waste Local Plan) and development
control of minerals on land, including
identification of wharf sites.
Sea Fisheries Committee
routinely consulted on
licence applications within
6 miles.
District
Consultees on Minerals and Waste Local
Plan
District Councils (as coast protection
authorities) consulted on licence applications,
with regard to possible impact on the Shoreline.
Parish
Consultees on Minerals and Waste Local
Plan
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Of these, the last two could have particular implications
for the coastal zone. Both need to be imported by sea,
and Marine Dredged Aggregates are taken directly from
the seabed.
There is growing use of recycled aggregates (which are
produced from various construction wastes), and this is
likely to increase with the implementation of the Landfill
Tax. However it is not of a suitable specification for
many construction uses and the economics of supply also
limit its potential. The total amount is unlikely to exceed
10% of the south-west supply in the next 10 years
The Planning Regime
Providing Wharf Sites
The means of regulating aggregates are shown in the
diagram. The main feature is the different regimes that
operate above and below Low Water Mark. On land
there is a local planning process, whereas offshore the
decisions are taken at a national level, with the lead role
held by the Department of Transport, Environment and
the Regions (DETR).
Dorset’s Minerals and Waste Local Plan sets planning
policies for minerals extraction on land within Dorset. It
is prepared jointly by Dorset County Council,
Bournemouth Borough Council and Poole Borough
Council, with the work co-ordinated through a group
based within the County Council.
The Plan’s main task is to ensure a supply of minerals
from environmentally and socially acceptable sites and
sources. The plan needs to identify sufficient supplies to
meet the amount apportioned to the County by the
DETR figure, as interpreted by the Regional Aggregates
Working Party. DETR make an overall estimate for the
total marine aggregates supply for the Southwest, but this
is not apportioned between counties. This makes it
difficult for the Plan to make provision for supply from
marine sources
The Minerals and Waste Local Plan covers the period to
2007, in broad terms the policies it has established are:
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Offshore aggregate extraction is controlled under the
Government View Procedure, which is currently run on a
non-statutory basis. Before an area can be dredged, an
application must be submitted to the crown Estate.
Discussions then commence between the applicant,
Crown estate and other interested parties, the outcome
being that a decision is made whether an Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) is required. Applicants then
decide whether they wish to proceed, and prepare a
formal application which is submitted to the Crown
Estate with the draft EIA. Currently an EIA is carried out
on every application; this will be made statutory from
1999.
to meet the need for land-won material from the least
damaging sites (which are identified as preferred
areas);
to encourage the use of alternatives to land-won
sources, including marine-dredged, sea-borne and
recycled supplies;
to protect areas of designated environmental
importance.
At present Poole Harbour has the only active aggregates
wharf site in Dorset, which is currently operating at
about 50% of capacity. Any significant increase in import
of aggregates is likely to need additional wharf space.
The current minerals and waste local plan identifies two
other possible sites in Poole Harbour.
Portland Port Limited have recently signed a contract to
provide wharf space for the import of gravel / export of
sand, a combined total of 140,000 tonnes per annum.
The development of the wharf site has not yet
commenced but is expected in the near future.
Issues to be considered in locating further wharf sites
include:
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access to adequate deep water;
enough space for storage of stockpiled aggregates;
access to road of suitable capacity without adverse
effects on the environment or amenity;
access to rail.
The washing of aggregate is normally undertaken at the
wharf site or at a specialist washing plant, depending on
the source of the material and the company handling it.
There is the possibility of some pollution as a result of
cleaning the material, either by particulate or by salt
(marine aggregates). However discharges of the water
used for washing will be subject to a discharge consent
from the Environment Agency. Any airborne pollution
from this process would be assessed and regulated by the
bodies responsible for the Minerals and Waste Local Plan
Marine Aggregates Page 3
More Marine Dredged Aggregates?
The possibility exists of supplying some of Dorset’s future
needs by material dredged from the sea-bed, however the
evidence is that there are few economic sources off the
Dorset coast. There are however economic deposits
within reach of Dorset’s ports to the Southwest of the Isle
of Wight, and these could be considered as a possible
source. However the responsibility of adopting such a
policy needs to be considered carefully within Dorset,
even if the impacts of extraction fall on other parts of the
South Coast.
The key planning questions which possible supply of
marine aggregates to Dorset raise include the following:
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What resources are available from the seabed?
Are they suitable in terms of quantity and quality to
sustain supply needs?
Is suitable wharf capacity available to enable them to
be imported?
What would the impact be on the marine
environment and coastal zone if further aggregates
were to be extracted?
Integrating Marine Aggregate
Activity within Dorset’s Coastal
Zone
Aggregates activity needs to be integrated with the other
uses and activities within the Coastal Zone. Its potential
impacts, and the key questions they raise are:
Archaeology
Marine aggregate extraction has the potential to disturb
sites of marine archaeological importance. Aggregates
companies have agreed a voluntary code of practice,
which requires archaeological assessment of licensed
areas, and sets a framework for the protection of remains.
Coastal Defence
There is increasing interest in making beneficial use of
seabed aggregates for coastal defence by artificially
recharging beaches. There is a need to quantify the likely
demand for marine aggregates dredged from offshore.
There is also potential to ‘recycle’ beach sediments from
the nearshore zone by pumping them ashore.
Marine aggregate extraction also has the potential to
cause impacts on the coastline. This is an important
aspect to be assessed when deciding whether to permit
extraction. At present all applications are assessed by a
consultant ‘Hydraulics Research, Wallingford’, and a
licence is refused if the assessment suggests it would
affect the shoreline. There are demands for a wider
range of consultants to be used.
Educational Use
No major interactions.
Fishing
The fishing community have strong concerns about
marine dredging, focussed on three areas:
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the potential for seabed extraction to impact on fish
and shellfish populations through disturbing habitats.
the possible effects of increased turbidity of water
near dredging sites, and fall out of dredged material
can affect productivity and disturb the seabed.
conflicts with fishing use during dredging activity particularly access to fishing grounds and deployment
of fixed fishing gear.
Aggregates licence applications are now routinely
accompanied by an environmental statement, which
provides the basis for the Government to assess whether
the impact of a proposal is acceptable.
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A liaison group between the aggregate and fishing
industry exists for the South Coast and meets twice a
year. The group aims to improve communication and
implement practical options to reduce conflict.
Geology & Geomorphology
Seabed extraction provides access to, but also removes
recent geological deposits. The underwater gravel and
sand deposits targeted are not generally regarded of
geological conservation significance. There has been past
extraction from Chesil Beach although this ceased some
time ago. As a feature of international conservation
importance, further activity would be incompatible with
its conservation.
Environmental assessment seeks to ensure that seabed
aggregate extraction has no impact on coastal
geomorphological processes. Dorset’s geological
exposures in coastal cliffs, and coastal processes and
features are of high conservation value, and any
interference with them would be of great concern.
Landscape & Seascape
Aggregate extraction from the seabed has little direct
impact on the coastal landscape or seascape, with the
siting of wharves being the main issue. Marine sources
may take the pressure off sites located within sensitive
landscapes elsewhere in the County.
Ports & Shipping
Wharves for landing marine aggregates need to be
provided within ports, and compete for space with other
ports activities. Aggregate shipping forms a small part of
overall shipping trade within Dorset, and aggregates
shipping takes its place in demanding water space and
port facilities accordingly.
Recreation
No major interactions.
Tourism
Beach recharge has the potential to provide enhanced
beaches. Although if unsuitable material is used it could
have a detrimental affect on tourism. Lee -on-Solent,
Hampshire, is an example of this; the aggregate was not
properly screened and as a result, fines in the sediment
have impacted on the nearshore environment.
Wildlife
Extraction from the seabed has potential direct and
indirect impacts on marine habitats and species, which
correspond to those listed above for fisheries.
Maritime Industries
No major interactions.
Military Activity
Military use of the sea for firing ranges and submarine
exercise areas constrains possible extraction areas.
Oil & Gas
Oil & Gas exploration and aggregate extraction may have
competing needs for use of the seabed.
Pollution & Environmental Quality
Dredging vessels produce emissions to air, and have the
same potential to create illegal litter and discharges as
other forms of shipping. The distinct impact of aggregate
dredging is the suspension of fine sediment in the water
column. Aggregate extraction generally takes place from
unpolluted sediments. Once ashore, aggregate
processing has the potential to create noise pollution.
Lorries and/or rail traffic are required for distribution
purposes, both of which can cause noise and air
pollution along with other associated traffic impacts.
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Policy Directions for Marine
Aggregates on the Dorset Coast
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The following policy questions are proposed for reaction
by the Dorset Coast Forum:
distinguish between extraction for construction
(where material is lost to the system), and use in coast
protection schemes which recycle material;
ensure operation is carried out within the Code of
Practice for maritime archaeology, and consider
whether codes for other interests are needed.
Are these right, are there others?
1. Should marine aggregates be more
actively considered, as a possible source for
Dorset’s future needs for construction
gravel?
Dorset will continue to exert demands for aggregates,
and the role of minerals planning will be to attempt to
find suitable sources, which can be obtained without
unacceptable environmental or social impacts. The main
need is for gravel and, given Dorset’s lack of an offshore
resource, the focus of attention is on the feasibility and
acceptability of import from marine-dredged gravel from
elsewhere on the south coast.
2. How should future marine extraction be
regulated?
The new interim system for dealing with marine
aggregates licences (to be introduced by shortly by
DETR) should provide a clearer and more transparent
regime. Once these arrangements have been tested, they
should be introduced on a statutory basis.
Although the decisions below Low Water Mark will be
taken at a national level by DETR, arrangements need to
ensure effective and meaningful local consultation. How
and with who?
The new regulatory regime needs to be operated within a
clear policy framework - something that does not
currently exist. Tasks, which the policy could address,
include the following:
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continue to not permit extraction which would affect
shoreline processes and increase erosion;
continue to require a satisfactory environmental
statement for all licences, and ensure the standards of
environmental assessment which takes place;
minimise the total area of seabed licensed at any one
time;
set planning conditions for licences which mitigate
their short-term effects, and ensure long-term
recovery of affected areas;
3. Is there a need for a better-planned
approach to the supply of marine
aggregates? If so, how should it be achieved?
The long-term ideal is to develop forward planning of
offshore extraction, to identify agreed future sites for
extraction, in relation to constraints from the
environment and other uses. This will require a level of
information about seabed resources and activities, which
does not currently exist. When is a realistic target date
to achieve this in practice?
Improvements could be made to the estimates of future
supply from marine sources, which could then be built
into the Minerals and Waste Local Plan. How can more
active links between DETR and the Minerals Planning
Authorities be made and maintained?
Environmental Assessment has an important role in
relation to Marine Aggregates, and will remain one of the
most important tools in its future planning. A review of
the future scope and content of Assessments is needed,
based on evaluating past practice. It should include a
focus on the cumulative impact of extraction in relation
to sites, which are already licensed. How high a priority
is this, and who should carry it out?
4. Is there a need for more co-operation
over information and research to be
achieved? If so how, and what should it
focus on?
Achieving improvements to the planning regime clearly
requires improved information. Practical measures,
which could be achieved, include:
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producing an assessment of marine aggregates
resources which are available to Dorset;
adopting a common core database on seabed
resources within DETR, which would be made
available to its consultees and the Minerals Planning
Authorities, in co-operation with the Industry;
development of more comprehensive, accurate and
accessible information on seabed constraints and user
Marine Aggregates Page 6
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interests, possible co-ordinated through the Dorset
Coast Forum;
a co-ordinated national approach to research on
baseline data and effects of extraction. Work towards
an improved database could begin now Need shared
with other sectors;
improved predictions of future levels of demand
prepared by DETR, Minerals Planning Authorities and
the Industry;
routine consultation with Dorset Environmental
Records Centre over Environmental Statements, and
lodging of completed statements.
Where should the priorities lie?
5. Could links between the Aggregates
sector and other interests be improved? If
so how?
Any improved planning regime will require wide support
if it is to be implemented effectively, particularly within
the fishing and environmental sectors. Improved direct
contact between the Aggregates sector and other
interests is vital to achieving this aim, and reducing future
conflicts.
Suggestions are:
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an annual meeting between the Minerals Planning
Authorities and DETR to review the scope for supply
from the sea, and ensure co-ordination of policies;
DETR to work jointly with other seabed regulators to
create a policy regime which has widespread support;
identify how the different regulators can co-ordinate
their management of sea-bed activities to assist
implementation;
improve liaison arrangements between the aggregates
industry and regulators and fishermen, to allow more
frequent face-to-face contact;
maintain regular contact between the Dorset Coast
Forum, DETR, BMAPA - the British Aggregate
Producers Association, who comprise of companies
involved in the production and supply of sand and
gravel extracted from the seabed.
and; a short annual report from BMAPA could be
circulated.
What other practical improvements could be made?
Marine Aggregates Page 7