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Save our Goodwin Sands from dredging by Dover Harbour Board

goodwinsandssos@gmail.com
Goodwin Sands SOSGoodwin Sands SOS
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ThePipeline investigate visit by the MMO’s Director of Marine Licencing to the Port of Dover

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

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

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.

Read more

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

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

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

 

Act of Remembrance outside Dover Harbour Board offices

Act of Remembrance outside Dover Harbour Board offices

Nov 11, 2016

The Goodwin Sands SOS group held an Act of Remembrance today, outside Dover Harbour Board’s headquarters overlooking Dover harbour. The dignified service including a two-minute silence was lead by actor Neil Stuke, a staunch supporter of the campaign.

remembrance4

Actor Neil Stuke (left) leading the Act of Remembrance

It should also act to remind Dover Harbour Board that many people feel very strongly that the graves of mariners and service personnel lying in the Goodwin Sands should not be disturbed.

remembrance1

Goodwin Sands SOS

Joanna Thomson and Esme Chilton from the Goodwin Sands SOS team

Wreaths were laid in memory of all the aircrews who lost their lives in and around the Goodwin Sands during times of combat and all the mariners who perished when their ships foundered on the Sands.We remember especially the two thousand men who died in one night during the Great Storm 26th November 1703.

https://goodwinsandssos.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Meridian-Report-11th-November-2016.mp4

Report from Meridian News

Individual crosses were laid in memory of the 21 pilots and crew from the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm who crashed into the Goodwins during 1940 and who were never able to be recovered. We also remember those who also paid the ultimate price from Germany’s Luftwaffe. May they all rest in peace forever and their relatives be assured they will not be disturbed.

remembrance3

PILOTS LISTED AS MISSING IN THE GOODWIN SANDS AREA, MAY – NOVEMBER 1940

Aircrewman Unit
Sergeant Arrowsmith No. 139 Squadron
Sergeant Richard Bate No. 254 Squadron
Sub Lt Geoffrey Bulmer Fleet Air Arm
Flying Officer Graham Chambers No. 610 Squadron
Squadron Leader Cooke No. 65 Squadron
Flt Lieutenant John Cunnigham No. 603 Squadron
Sergeant Davidson No. 139 Squadron
Flying Officer Douglas Gamblen No. 610 Squadron
Pilot Officer Keith Gillman No. 32 Squadron
Leading Aircrewman Harrison No. 254 Squadron
Sergeant Frederick Hawley No. 266 Squadron
Squadron Leader Hendry No. 139 Squadron
Sq. Ldr Philip Hunter DSO No. 254 Squadron
Flying Officer John Kerr Wilson No. 610 Squadron
Pilot Officer Frederick King No. 254 Squadron
Flight Lieutenant Mark Kirkwood No. 603 Squadron
Sergeant James Love No. 254 Squadron
Flying Officer Lukaszewicz No. 501 Squadron
Sergeant Richard Roskrow No. 254 Squadron
Pilot Officer Roswadowski No. 151 Squadron
Pilot Officer Zenker No. 251 Squadron

remembrance5

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Recent Posts

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