- Cymraeg
- English
 |
Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
 |
Gower dredging - AM calls for proper study
August 13, 2007 2:01 PM
The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black, has called for a properly-funded study of the mechanism that deposits sand on Gower beaches in the light of the recent licence granted to the Llanelli Sand Dredging Company to take 150,000 tonnes of sand a year, over 7 years, from the Helwick Bank off Gower.
He is concerned that the licence was granted by the Labour-Plaid Cymru Government despite them having no idea of its impact on local beaches.
"I suppose that the only good thing about this appalling decision is that it is at the lower end of what the company was demanding," said Mr. Black. "However, the plain facts are that since dredging started, many Gower beaches have changed in character owing to a loss of sand; particularly at Port Eynon and Horton. In the circumstances the Minister should have resisted this application for further dredging as a precautionary measure."
"I have opposed dredging from the Helwick and Nash banks since the 1980s, when it was first discussed in Swansea Council because, nobody fully understands its impact. In particular the tidal and other mechanisms that govern the movement of sand in the Bristol Channel to and from the beaches and features like the Helwick Bank remain a mystery. That is why I will be pressing the Labour / Plaid coalition in Cardiff to fund a proper study to find out, rather than grant licences and simply hope for the best."
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats