Neil Jordan, Author at Goodwin Sands SOS

About Neil Jordan

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Neil Jordan has contributed 49 entries to our website, so far.

New evidence reveals Goodwin Sands shipwreck’s secrets

Jul 25, 2018

Crew members of a ship which sank off the Kent coast more than 275 years ago have been identified.

Researchers used archive documents to name 19 of the 237 shipmen who were on board the Dutch ship the Rooswijk.

Among them were a senior surgeon, a 19-year-old on his first voyage and a sailor who had previously survived a shipwreck.

The vessel, which was carrying coins and silver ingots, sank on Goodwin Sandsin January 1740.

More than a thousand vessels are known to have been wrecked on the notorious sandbanks, dubbed “the great ship swallower”.

Meeting with Ms Trudi Wakelin of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO)

Jul 10, 2018

Local MPs, Dover Town Councillors and members of Goodwin Sands SOS recently met Ms Trudi Wakelin of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) in London to hear Ms Wakelin’s account of her visit to the Port of Dover in July 2017.

Goodwin Sands SOS had raised concerns of possible bias last October with Ms Wakelin when she visited the Port unaccompanied, took no Minutes of the meeting and did not meet other stakeholders interested in the dredging licence application.

The meeting at the House of Commons was chaired by Sir Roger Gale and also attended by John Tuckett, CEO of the MMO, MPs Craig Mackinlay and Charlie Elphicke, Dover Town Councillors Callum Warriner and Peter Wallace and David Steed, Fiona Punter and Joanna Thomson of Goodwin Sands SOS.

Ms Wakelin told the meeting how, as the newly appointed Director of Marine Licensing, she was prompted to visit Dover Harbour Board, who have applied for a licence to dredge 3 million tonnes of aggregate from the Goodwin Sands, following a meeting with Tim Waggott, the then CEO of DHB at a conference earlier in 2017.

Ms Wakelin assured those present in London that the visit was an informal opportunity for her and Mr Waggott to gain a better mutual understanding and that there was no issue of bias towards Dover Harbour Board. She confirmed that she and Tim Waggott did not discuss the controversial dredging licence application during her visit although they did visit DWDR to see its progress.

Ms Wakelin also explained that she had been brought into the MMO to improve the MMO’s reputation, which hitherto had been considered remote, impersonal and a ‘black hole’ for applications and the marine licensing process as a whole. She outlined the procedure involved for each submission including the fee structure and risk level rating.

Applications such as Dover Harbour Board’s that involve Environmental Impact Assessments attract fees up to a maximum of £999,000 and are risk rated Red, with Black being a recently introduced innovation. GWS SOS has asked the MMO which ratings applies to Goodwin Sands and are currently awaiting a reply.

Ms Wakelin confirmed that following a licence decision a full report is published detailing how the MMO arrived at its decision and the application is handed over to the appropriate regional office. It is this office’s responsibility to ensure that any conditions attached to the licence are adhered to and they have the authority to impose any sanctions as necessary.

Decisions on licence applications are all based upon evidence-led information received from the applicant and on advice given by the MMO’s statutory consultees, which include Historic England, Natural England, the Environment Agency, Cefas and JNCC.

The full Minutes of the meeting can be read here

Notable Supporter: Dr Bill Moses, MBE, MA

Jul 4, 2018

Sands of Time

Regarded with awe, apprehension and yet reverence by seafarers over centuries, the Goodwin Sands constitute a rich mixture of maritime history, natural science and marine ecology as well as being a graveyard for so many brave, and for the most part, unsuspecting seafarers. Thousands of merchant and naval sailors of differing nationalities are buried there along with the remains of the wooden, iron and steel ships which remaining undisturbed, mark their graves.

Today the Goodwin Sands are a breeding and feeding ground for so many species of fish, crustaceans and seals to the extent that – if ever there was one – this is surely the definition of a Marine Conservation Zone. Put another way, it would be sacrilege if the Goodwin Sands were to slip the MCZ net.

The Goodwin Sands SOS team have done an excellent job in highlighting the need for conservation of an area of the English Channel that has remained untouched for centuries. There can be no commercial justification in seeing this area desecrated. At high water the Goodwin Sands disappear from view but we must not allow our maritime history and ecological future to disappear from our consciousness in a similar way!

Dr Bill Moses, MBE, MA – July 2018

Biography of Dr Bill Moses, MBE, MA – July 2018
Heralded as a guru of the shipping industry, Dr Bill Moses has considerable experience running successful and high-profile passenger and freight shipping businesses at local, regional and international level. With a career spanning over 40 years Bill has operated a wide variety of conventional freight and passenger ships as well as fast ferries. He now offers personal and expert advice to the wider maritime industry.

In 2008, Bill was awarded with a Member of the British Empire medal (MBE) by Her Majesty the Queen, for Services to the Shipping Industry and Charitable work.

Bill has a Master of Arts degree in International Maritime Policy and graduated in 2011 as a Doctor of Philosophy based on his extensive research entitled The Commercial and Technical Evolution of the Ferry Industry 1948-1987.

Notable Supporter: Author William Horwood

Jul 3, 2018

The Goodwin Sands are one of the last true wildernesses of Britain – and by extension, of Europe. They are loved as much for what they represent as for the physical place they are. I was raised opposite them. When night fishing for codling from Deal’s shingle foreshore I often heard the roar of the rising tides across the distant Goodwins. Walking the chalk cliff path to Dover and back I could sometimes see them out there in the Channel, all greys and yellows ringed with white water. I knew some of the fishermen who worked the rich waters around them; men whose other job was often to serve in the Walmer Lifeboat to save the live sailors marooned on them. When I left Deal and began travelling to research and write I headed mainly north: to the Lakes, Northumberland, the Western Isles, Norway and Iceland. I never saw, nor heard of, a place quite like the Goodwin Sands. Not once.

So if they’re more than a place what is it they ‘represent’? For one thing, they are somewhere humans cannot stand for longer than it takes for the tide to come in. That’s a very humbling thing for a species that has destroyed so much: it’s a reminder of our impermanence. For another they are a still-living history that connects us to a past and present too easily forgotten, which we should always protect. No greater evidence of that forgetting, that losing touch with what we daily need, is the idea that we can treat them as a physical resource. The economic arguments for such despoliation, based as they always are on flawed and partial research, are by definition specious and absurd. We do not any more cut down ancient oaks because the wood is useful; nor do we willingly despoil mountains and moorland, wetlands and heath. We let them be, we cherish them, we honour them.

By simply being what they are day-by-day, tide-by-tide, the Goodwin Sands remind us that one of the greatest arts of being civilized is leaving well alone.

Campaigns like ours must always be fought and fought hard. My mother was one of those who fought the planners in the 1950’s who wanted to demolish the ‘slums’ of North Deal and replace them with ‘improved’ housing. She and her fellow campaigners won that fight – and the so-called slums became the Conservation Area it now is, to be enjoyed for generations to come. We must win our fight for the Goodwins, a place we need never visit to measure its value. It is here already, in our hearts and minds and spirits and it is immeasurable. In respecting such wilderness we respect ourselves.

William Horwood, author, November 2017

Biography

William Horwood was raised on the East Kent coast, mainly in Deal and Walmer, right opposite the Goodwins. After studying Geography at Bristol University, he became a teacher, trade journalist and Fleet Street reporter until his first book, Duncton Wood, was published in 1980. The Dunction Chronicles and later books including The Stonor Eagles, Callanish, Skallagrigg and the Hyddenworld series are all international best sellers.

His memoir The Boy with No Shoes is set in Deal, re-named ‘Stoning’ in the book. It was shortlisted for the Mind Book of the Year in 2005 and is a deeply moving account of a heart breaking childhood as the illegitimate last child of five. It describes the austerity and harshness of existence along the Kent coast in the post war years; and life in the simple, unheated fishermen’s cottages along the seafront that faces the English Channel and the Goodwin Sands. The warmth and hospitality of those men and women, their love of the sea and respect for the elements and wild places has stayed with him all his life.

William’s mother was amongst those who campaigned to prevent Deal from being ‘modernised’ after WWII by means of ‘slum’ clearances. This conviction and foresight led to the creation of The Deal Society and ensured that the town retained the character and charm that exists today.

William Horwood still has family in Deal and many connections with East Kent, often returning for and writing retreats. He has become a staunch supporter of the campaign to protect the Goodwin Sands from destruction by dredging.

ThePipeline investigate visit by the MMO’s Director of Marine Licencing to the Port of Dover

Feb 8, 2018

The investigative digital news magazine, ThePipeline has looked into the visit by Trudi Wakelin, Head of Marine Licensing at the Marine Management Organisation (the organisation responsible for the decision whether to grant Port of Dover permission to dredge the Goodwin Sands) to the Port of Dover in July 2017.

It has been suggested that Ms Wakelin’s visit was ‘professionally inappropriate’ and ‘…could potentially form a ground for a Judicial Review of any decision by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to grant Port of Dover a licence to dredge the Goodwin Sands’. It is reported that the visit took place at the invitation by the Port of Dover.

Trudi Wakelin wrote in her blog (https://marinedevelopments.blog.gov.uk/2017/10/16/trudi-wakelin-my-first-6-months/):

‘So far, I have visited many coastal regions. It has been great to meet major stakeholders to help them understand more about our marine management activities and get a deeper understanding of how we can best work with them.

A good example of this was my very constructive meeting with the CEO of Dover Harbour Board (DHB). He wanted to make sure the MMO has a good understanding of his business and how important it is to the local community. I went to see his operations and it was fascinating to see the piling rigs at work and the wider context of how he manages his ferry and port operations.

As an engineer by trade, it’s always of interest to me to understand how things work but it was even more fascinating to see the all of the logistical elements that go into the successful running of a port. It also gave the CEO comfort and reassurance that we were ready and willing to listen and understand him.’

ThePipeline investigated Trudi Wakelin’s visit in the Summer of 2017, where it is claimed she did not visit the DWDR (Dover Western Docks Revival) and the photos she took were ‘…during her travelling time.’ During their questioning, an MMO spokesperson replied:

‘Trudi visited Dover Harbour Board and as part of her visit saw piling rigs in action.’

‘She did not visit the DWDR project. The photos she took were actually not part of any visit or meeting but during her travelling time.’

ThePipeline voices the obvious concerns by campaigners that such a visit could be considered an exercise in partiality given the sensitive nature of the campaign, especially when she has offered ‘…comfort and reassurance…’ to DHB.

Although a meeting with Trudi Wakelin has been offered to the Goodwin Sands SOS campaign group and other interested parties, the MMO have proposed that the meeting should take place in London instead of locally as it was for DHB. Obviously this would cause difficulties for parties that have full time jobs and are members of a voluntary campaign but the MMO remains unmoved. As yet, no date for this meeting has been set despite repeated requests by Goodwin Sands SOS.

You can read the full post at ThePipeline here: http://thepipeline.info/blog/2018/01/30/goodwin-sands-row-mmo-director-of-licensing-held-unminuted-meeting-with-port-of-dover-ceo/

Dover Town Council Vote to Object to Dredging Plans

Sep 22, 2017

Dover Town Council voted to write an objection as part of the current public consultation process after a vote on Wednesday 20th September.

Article from kentonline.com:

A town council has cast a majority vote against dredging the Goodwin Sands.

Dover members vote nine against three to formally object to the plans in the current public consultation.

It followed a motion by Cllr Callum Warriner who is anxious to protect war graves in the area.

He asked the council to write to the Marine Management Organisation before the end of the public consultation next week.

In a speech to colleagues on Wednesday Cllr Warriner said: ”Disturbance to this area, even if it could be managed and monitored, cannot guarantee that the natural action of sea and tide will not disrupt and disturb those resting souls consigned to sleep forever in our shadow.

“I wish Dover Harbour Board every success in their efforts to bring regeneration and prosperity to the town,

“But I for one cannot sanction the potential destruction of our maritime heritage or the graves of our brave airmen and seamen.

“We have a duty to the people of Dover and Deal, the citizens of Kent and the nation at large to protect this unique and sacred site from unnecessary damage and disturbance.”

The decision also came after councillors had heard presentations from both the port authority and leading dredging opponents Goodwin Sands SOS (Save Our Sands).

Cllr Warriner is a 20-year-old politics student at Canterbury University who was voted into the Castle ward in a by-election last October.

Dover Harbour Board is applying to the government’s MMO for a licence to dredge a section of the Sands off Deal for its Dover Western Docks Revival development.

Fiona Punter, co-ordinator for dredging opponents Goodwin Sands SOS (Save Our Sands) said after the meeting: “We are absolutely delighted by this outcome, it is far more than we expected.

“We are extremely grateful to Callum and to all the councillors who voted to support him.”

GSSOS Campaign co-ordinator Joanna Thomson added: “This decision sends a very strong and clear message to the MMO that whilst the people of Dover want to see the regeneration go ahead they are not prepared to sacrifice our marine environment and heritage to achieve it.”

A Port of Dover spokesman later: “We are deeply disappointed and bemused by this decision from Dover Town Council.

“Throughout the licence submission we have been fully compliant with due process and have responded to all the Marine Management Organisation’s requests.

“The decision should be based solely on the evidence and facts put before it.”

The harbour board argues that it is only dredging 0.22% of the sands and it is needed to help provide jobs and regeneration for Dover.

The third public consultation on this ends at midnight tomorrow .

You can have your say by going online via the MMO public register at gov.uk/check-marine-licence-register.

Or you can email marine.consents@marinemanagement.org.uk.

www.kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/council-stands-against-goodwins-dredging-132573/

Sir Roger Gale MP condemns “cheapskate” plans to dredge Goodwin Sands

Sep 19, 2017

An MP has condemned a “cheapskate approach” over the dredging of the Goodwin Sands to make way for a major port redevelopment.

Sir Roger Gale has written a letter of objection to Dover Harbour Board’s public consultation condemning its plans to dig the area to cut costs.

Article from: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/cheapskate-attempt-to-dredge-sands-132339/

He says there could be 2,000 ships buried there and tens of thousands of people, many in war graves.

The North Thanet MP’s letter – sent to the Marine Management Organisation – has been sent in response to the third public consultation over Dover Harbour Board’s application for a licence to dredge the sands for its Dover Western Docks Revival development.

He said: “I am not opposed to the development of the Port of Dover but I do not believe that a cheapskate approach such as that proposed can be regarded as acceptable in the context of our maritime and aviation heritage.

“I trust that the application will be rejected.”

The public consultation ends on Thursday, September 28.

Sir Roger says that having discussed the issue with port bosses he remains convinced that the digging would have a harmful effect on a site of enormous maritime archaeological importance and a civilian and war grave location.

He wrote: “Notwithstanding undertakings that wrecks of ships and aircraft have been identified and that the removal of further sand in ‘small quantities’ and ‘from the periphery of the site’ it is inevitable, given the shifting nature of the sands, that any such extraction will lead to a compensatory infill and the likely exposure of buried remains.

He added: “It is believed that there are some 2,000 ships and tens of thousands of people that have found their final resting place in the sands in addition to many aircraft.

“It is not acceptable that these should be disturbed except under properly controlled, monitored and recorded archaeological conditions.

“The proposals as submitted seem to me to take a cavalier attitude towards what is in very real terms part of our national and international heritage and I can find no evidence of any protocols in place to pay other than lip-service to the likelihood of an unanticipated discovery.”

Sir Roger said he believed that the attempt to dredge the sands is “driven solely by cost,” yet there are alternative sites as close as the Thames Estuary.

The MP had previously spoken out against the dredging, in a KM column for his constituency, last month.

Third Consultation Period is Open

Aug 29, 2017

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) announced that the third public consultation period for the Goodwins dredging licence application will run from 17th August to midnight on 28th September 2017.

We have been reading the information supplied by Dover Harbour Board (DHB) and have condensed it into a leaflet which we hope will make it much easier for you to respond to the MMO – you can read it here: Points of Objection to the MMO

There are also more details relating to the consultation here: Public Consultation Page

It is really important that you respond to the MMO if you can. We need to leave them in absolutely no doubt about the strength of public opposition to this dreadful plan. Please make your response personal and in your own words and it must include some of the points outlined above or the MMO won’t take it seriously. And please remember to quote the reference MLA/2016/00227.

We have now passed the 15,000 mark for the total number of signatures collected (on paper and online) which is quite a milestone! Please do continue to share this email with anyone who still may not have heard of the campaign and thank you once again for your continued support.
So please get writing!

BBC Radio Kent Breakfast – Disputing Dover Harbour Board’s Suggestions

Aug 7, 2017

Joanna Thomson of Goodwin Sands SOS disputes claims by Dover Harbour Board that not dredging the Goodwin Sands will cost £500m. The discussion also includes David Brocklehurst OBE of the Kent Battle of Britain Museum, Hawkinge.

Make sure you sign the petition: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/goodwin-sands-sos-stop-the-dredge

Dunkirk star Sir Mark Rylance launches fresh attack on dredging plans

Aug 6, 2017

Sir Mark Rylance, star of the recent film ‘Dunkirk’ has launched a fresh attack on the plans by Dover Harbour Board to dredge part of the Goodwin Sands.

During the filming of Chris Nolan’s Dunkirk, I was at times at sea a few hundred yards off the actual beach of Dunkirk. I was very aware that we were reenacting a real and horrific tragedy for tens of thousands of brave young men who never made it home but died and fell to their resting places in the sand beneath our little boats. The memory of their all too brief lives was almost palpable in the shallow waters surrounding the beach of Dunkirk.

I wondered what the outcry would be in England if it was announced that France was going to dredge the sands of Dunkirk to make concrete and other construction products. Outrage I imagine.

Yet, here we are still fighting to defend the last resting place of many such brave young men who perished off the coast of Dover. I have to ask, What is the problem with us, that we are so disrespectful of these honourable souls who perished in the English channel defending the rest of us from fascism? Who is responsible for this insulting ongoing enquiry? Let it conclude as soon as possible and let there be apologies from all involved for the poor behaviour towards our fallen youth.

His comments have been published today in the Mail on Sunday.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4764732/Plans-dredge-Goodwin-Sands-meets-Dunkirk-opposition.html

The Guardian published the story on Monday 7th August 2017:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/07/mark-rylance-dredge-channel-sands-dunkirk-dover