CONCLUSIONS
19. We believe that the CIRIA Report's conclusions
regarding sand have been vindicated notably by the successful
completion of the Lincshore and Happisburgh Schemes. The assessment
regarding shingle on the south coast may however be pessimistic;
although beach nourishment demands are rising, demand in this
area has not been as high as expected for construction. Materials
to meet national aggregate requirements for construction purposes,
and the export market, have generally not come under the pressure
expected and our current assessment is that for the foreseeable
future, a gentle and steady rise in demand for this purpose can
be expected.
20. Since 1996 (when the CIRIA Report was
published) significant new reserves have been identified (130
million tonnes on the south coast of which 65 million tonnes would
represent shingle). Moreover new technology is beginning to allow
access to reserves of marine aggregates previously considered
too difficult or uneconomic to work and process.
21. However, specifications for schemes
are extremely tight and often pay insufficient regard to the availability
and grading of local seabed material. In particular, little attention
has been paid to the recycling of inshore material (viz that lost
from the beach itself). If this could be utilised, then competition
with the construction industry would be avoided since extraction
of material from the marine system, must meet extremely high environmental
and coast protection criteria, whereas a balance of advantage
approach, such as that taken in New Forest District Council's
Hurst Spit Scheme, might be acceptable for coast protection schemes.
To date very few schemes have been sourced in this way.
22. The Committee has sought the Commissioners'
views on the question of additional legislation to provide for
territorial extension of local authority powers below the low
water mark and as far out as the twelve mile limit, to consolidate
and possibly extend current dredging operations for coastal defence
purposes. The Commissioners have consistently indicated that,
as landowners, particularly in this sensitive public area, they
will work within whatever system of planning and regulation Government
requires. In this specific case, DETR have announced their intention
to introduce a statutory planning system for marine aggregates
in the near future. Moreover, for most coastal authorities, individual
application or requirements might come their way only once in
a decade or even more. It also needs to be recognised that the
effects of marine extraction need to be considered on a very different
basis to a local authority boundary. For example, the considerable
quantity of material required for the Lincshore Scheme came from
Area 107, which if local authority boundaries were extended, would
fall within the responsibilities of North Norfolk.
23. As explained above, it is currently
open to local authorities to seek licences for marine materials
for coast defence purposes. Because of the timescale for obtaining
a favourable Government View, only one licence has been issued
in the recent past. Needs have on the other hand been adequately
met from commercial licences, for which the material has been
fully prospected and consent gained by the commercial sector.
There is, as mentioned above, scope for further investigation
into the possible use of in-shore materials but this is not a
regulatory aspect rather an area where further scientific research
needs to be undertaken.
24. DETR has developed considerable expertise
on a national basis over the last several years and it is arguable
that a national approach, but with full consultation with local
authorities, as under the present system, remains the most suitable
way to deal with this sensitive subject.
3 June 1998
