In the media Archives - Goodwin Sands SOS

East Kent seafront resident’s concerns for coastal erosion and future dredging plans

Jan 20, 2020

Report from ITV Meridian on 21st January 2020 (https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2020-01-21/east-kent-seafront-residents-concerns-for-coastal-erosion-and-future-dredging-plans/)

Dozens of people in beachfront homes in east Kent say coastal erosion has undermined vital flood defences.

Video report by ITV Meridian’s Tony Green

They say they also fear plans for large-scale dredging of the Goodwin Sands could now cause disastrous flooding of Kingsdown near Deal.

*The cliffs at Kingsdown in the middle of last century.*

Coastal defences try to keep the sea back, but storms can sweep away shingle overnight, leaving homes vulnerable.

The Goodwin Sands serve as a natural sea defence. But Campaigners trying to protect them are concerned no one really knows what will happen once the port of Dover starts dredging there.

Joanna Thomson from the group Goodwin Sands SOS says: “They [the council] are making efforts and the residents are really appreciative of what they’re doing. But what they’re not doing is working out what might happen if there is dredging out on the Goodwin Sands. What the real problem is they’re wave modelling and we have no faith in it. They took data from Deal Pier in 2006. So it’s insufficient and it doesn’t give you the whole picture of what’s going on out on the Goodwin Sands and it’s now 14 years out of date.”

Resident Hugh Mitchell has been living in the area for 23 years and has seen changes. He says: “We used to have a large collection of shingle outside our house and since the groins came in we’ve lost about 30m of it. With the sea levels rising and these unpredictable tides, I think we could well see the loss of these houses.”

A spokesman for the Port of Dover said that the licence to dredge the Goodwin Sands came with a number of conditions, all designed to protect the environment. They say when dredging begins they will work with experts and stakeholders to make sure all of those conditions are fully met.

In the meantime, Dover Council says it will continue with a beach management plan, with more beach replenishment in the next few months.

Lewis Pugh addresses the Conservative Party Conference

Oct 1, 2018

Fantastic words of support for Goodwin Sands from Lewis Pugh today at the Conservative Party conference.

“KT_180712_LewisPughFoundation_TheLongSwi” (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by Kelvin Trautman

Lewis Pugh completes the Long Swim to highlight marine protection

Aug 29, 2018

Lewis Pugh completed his ‘Long Swim’ today, swimming a total of 330 miles, the length of the English Channel from Land’s End to Dover.

Lewis reaches the end of his mammoth swim. Photo by Andy Ashenhurst.

The reason behind the challenge was to raise awareness of the necessity of better marine protection and he continues to highlight the planned dredging of the Goodwin Sands as a prime example.

Pugh wants at least 30% of the world’s oceans to be protected by 2030. The current figure stands at around 4%.

Among those to welcome Lewis at Shakespeare Beach today was the Environment Secretary Michael Gove MP and members of Goodwin Sands SOS.

Lewis has called on Michael Gove to intervene in the Goodwin Sands issue.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove greets Lewis Pugh at Dover. Photo by Andy Ashenhurst

Goodwin Sands is a perfect example of what I’m fighting for. It has been recognised for its biodiversity, its been set aside by government as a marine conservation zone and what we have is a company allowed to dredge the seabed and destroy the biodiversity marine life depends on.
Why is it that the economy also seems to be more important than the environment?
I’ll be asking the government to review this decision. If we carry on there’ll be nothing left for our children and grandchildren.
It makes a mockery of marine conservation in the UK.
Lewis Pugh

He said the Goodwin Sands decision was only looking for short-term problems.

Campaigner Fiona Punter with Michael Gove. Photo by Andy Ashenhurst.

Campaigners Joanna Thomson and Fiona Punter were on hand in the rain to pass Michael Gove a letter asking him to review the decision to allow the dredging by Dover Harbour Board. They also were interviewed during the day by Sky News’ Anna Botting.

Joanna Thomson and Fiona Punter being interviewed live on Sky News

Sky News’ science correspondent Thomas Moore has been reporting from the swim and appears to have been struck by the message.

There are 300,000 square miles of sea around the UK, but just three square miles are fully protected.
No drilling, no fishing, no exploitation whatsoever.
The rest of the Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) are paper parks.
They look great on a map. But they offer little protection to marine life.
Take Goodwin Sands in the English Channel.
It’s one of the MCZs announced by the government on World Oceans Day in June.
The shallow gravel bank is an important habitat for sand eels, blue mussels and the rare Thornback ray.
It’s also one of only two haul-out sites in the south east of England for seals.
Yet Dover Harbour Board will be allowed to dredge three million tonnes of aggregate from the area to expand the port, tearing up the seabed that supports such a complex web of life.
What kind of marine protection is that?
Sky News Correspondent, Thomas Moore, from https://news.sky.com/story/sky-views-come-diving-mr-gove-and-see-the-state-of-the-oceans-11479557

Thomas Moore made a special report on the Goodwin Sands, including Joanna Thomson which you can view here: https://news.sky.com/video/lewis-pugh-uk-must-protect-marine-habitats-11484442

There is a further interview with Lewis covering the Goodwin Sands on the video on the following link – watch from 1:15. http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2018-08-29/record-breaking-lewis-pugh-tells-all-after-330-mile-swim-from-cornwall-to-dover/

Lewis Pugh calls on Michael Gove to intervene in Goodwin Sands decision

Aug 28, 2018

By Thomas Moore, science correspondent, Sky News.

After more than 100 hours in the water Lewis Pugh will reach Dover on Wednesday, the finish line for his extraordinary swim up the length of the English Channel.

The UN’s Patron of the Oceans has just three miles to go to Shakespeare Beach, the traditional starting point for cross-Channel swims to France.

He will become the first person to swim the 350 miles from Land’s End, wearing only Speedos, goggles and a hat.

Lewis Gordon Pugh, by Tessa Graham. Creative Commons.

He’s taken half a million strokes, burned 98,000 calories and been stung by countless jellyfish.

Lewis said: “I’m mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. I have never done anything so tough in my life.

“But we are also excited. We can see the white cliffs of Dover and we are going to get there.

“It has been incredibly tough, especially when we were trying to get around Dungeness and we couldn’t several times.”

Lewis has been campaigning for 30% of the world’s oceans to be protected from damaging exploitation such as industrial fishing, mining and drilling.

He is angry that waters set aside as conservation zones in the UK have little protection.

Goodwin Sands, near Dover, was given protected status by the government on World Oceans Day in June.

The shallow gravel bank is an important habitat for sand eels, blue mussels and the rare Thornback ray. It’s also one of only two haul-out sites in the south east of England for seals.

Yet, Dover Harbour Board will be allowed to dredge 3m tonnes of aggregate from the area to expand the port, tearing up the seabed that supports such a complex web of life.

Joanna Thomson, who runs the campaign group Goodwin Sands SOS, said: “If we don’t stop the dredging now there will be nothing left.

“All the creatures are in the sand and is you start taking the top two metres off the sand there will be a huge ecological impact on the rest of the area.

“I know we can’t see it and out of sight out of mind, but they are there.”

The Port of Dover said Goodwin Sands is the closest and most economic source of aggregate for construction work in the Western Docks, expansion which will increase trade and jobs.

The independent regulator, the Maritime Management Organisation, ruled that the dredging wouldn’t “hinder the conservation objectives” of the protected area and gave the port the go-ahead to start removing aggregate from September next year.

But Lewis called on Environment Secretary Michael Gove to intervene.

He said: “Goodwin Sands is a perfect example of what I’m fighting for. It has been recognised for its biodiversity, its been set aside by government as a marine conservation zone and what we have is a company allowed to dredge the seabed and destroy the biodiversity marine life depends on.

“Why is it that the economy also seems to be more important than the environment?

“I’ll be asking the government to review this decision. If we carry on there’ll be nothing left for our children and grandchildren.

“It makes a mockery of marine conservation in the UK.”

He said the Goodwin Sands decision was only looking for short-term problems.

“What I’ve realised in 50 days of swimming is the depth of feeling about our oceans,” he said.

“I’ve received thousands of messages about the oceans, how important they are, how much they are changing by plastic pollution and over fishing.”

Lewis will reach Shakespeare Beach in Dover at 1.30pm on Wednesday and has invited members of the public to join him.

https://news.sky.com/story/white-cliffs-of-dover-in-sight-as-lewis-pughs-long-swim-nears-end-11484349

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.

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

Campaign Update June 2017

Jun 13, 2017

Dear Supporters,

The magnetometer survey of the Goodwin Sands, together with repeat side scan sonar, multi beam echo and sub bottom profiler surveys were completed during the month of May. The MMO have confirmed that the results, which should be available in August, will be the subject of an unprecedented, third, 42 day public consultation period.

We have requested from the MMO and Historic England that we be allowed to have the raw data from these surveys analysed independently as a quality control measure but to date have not received agreement.

We have made FOI requests to The Crown Estate (TCE) regarding the perceived conflict of interest between Royal Haskoning DHV’s two roles – one as manager of TCE’s seabed mineral resources and the other as Dover Harbour Board’s Environmental Impact Assessment consultants. TCE clearly see the Goodwins as a mineral resource to be exploited but they must prove that their position relating to RHDHV’s role on behalf of DHB is both impartial and transparent.

We are including a link to a video interview with Andy Brockman of The Pipeline Info which we hope you will find informative. Our bit starts at 28.15 minutes. Andy is a criminal archaeology journalist who has shown considerable interest in the campaign since its inception last summer.

Last but very much not least, are delighted to announce the addition of Nic Cobb of Cobb Energy Communications to the team as Public Affairs Manager. Nic is based in Dover and brings with him a decade of experience in the events, corporate and political communications industries. He also holds a number of positions in the charitable, political and heritage sectors.
We only have a couple of hundred more signatures to go before reaching 14,000 so please do keep sharing the link and encouraging everyone you know to support this very worthwhile campaign.

Thank you!

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

Regards,
Joanna Thomson, Fiona Punter, Andy Ashenhurst and Nic Cobb