Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru
The National Assembly for Wales
WRITTEN ASSEMBLY QUESTION
TABLED ON 15 MARCH 2000
FOR ANSWER BY THE SECRETARY FOR ENVIRONMENT
ON 20 MARCH 2000
Alun Cairns (South Wales West): Where is sand currently being dredged in "Welsh Waters", and how much sand individually. (WAQ4315.)
Alun Cairns (South Wales West): Which companies currently have licences to dredge sand from "Welsh Waters", where, and how much sand individually. (WAQ4317)
Sue Essex: Llanelli Sand Dredging Ltd have a licence to dredge sand from Helwick Bank at a maximum rate of 150,000 tonnes per annum.
Three companies (Hansen Aggregates Marine Ltd, United Marine Dredging Ltd and South Coast Shipping Ltd) have licences to remove sand from Nash Bank where the annual limit on extraction is 900,000 tonnes in total. The same three companies have licences to dredge the Holm Sands area where the annual maximum take is 2,975,000 tonnes. Hansen Aggregates Marine can extract up to 1,200,000 tonnes, South Coast Shipping up to 1,250,000 tonnes and United Marine Dredging up to 525,000 tonnes. South Coast Shipping also have a licence to remove up to 250,000 tonnes per annum from the West Middle Ground.
United Marine Dredging Ltd and Norwest Sand and Ballast Ltd have a licence to remove 400,000 tones and 600,000 tonnes respectively from Hilbre Swash off the North Wales Coast.
A planning permission to dredge on the Bedwin Sands, granted by the former Gwent County Council in 1991 to Severn Sands Ltd, allows for the extraction of up to 150,000 tonnes per annum.