Providing Support in Marine Aggregate Extraction Licence Application
ABPmer, UK, has been commissioned by CEMEX to undertake an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and prepare the associated Environmental Statement for proposed marine aggregate extraction from an area on the UK south coast.
Dredging to extract aggregates – sand, gravel, and other marine minerals – from the English seabed needs a marine licence and a separate permission from the landowner. Such licences usually require an EIA.
Natalie Frost, Planning and Licensing business development manager at ABPmer, said that Wessex Archaeology is also assisting ABPmer by undertaking a desk-based marine archaeology assessment, as well as geophysical and geotechnical assessments.
Marine aggregate licences are issued for a specific quantity of material to be extracted and for a specific duration, usually 15 years.