Urgent call to action: stop dumping on our reef!
By Sarah Ward, Marine Conservation Officer
*Update* 19 May 2025
We are appalled that the Marine Management Organisation has granted Brighton Marina’s Marine Licence to continue dumping dredged sludge on the sensitive chalk reefs and the other amazing marine habitats in Beachy Head West Marine Conservation Zone.
We believe this activity is fundamentally incompatible with protecting such an important protected site. The water quality of our sea is already in dire need of improvement because of pollution with sewage, chemicals and sediment and pouring sludge directly into a supposedly protected site makes a mockery of the Government’s targets to improve the marine environment.
We will be reviewing options for further action once we have considered all the detail. This is a dark day for our efforts to restore our coastal special places.
Original post:
If you’ve been following this issue, you’ll know that we are still waiting for the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to decide whether to renew Brighton Marina’s licence to dump dredged sediment in Beachy Head West Marine Conservation Zone.
This harmful activity should not be allowed to continue, and a decision should have been made by now to stop dumping on our reef and properly protect this marine protected area.
Weeks ago, the MMO said their decision was due ‘imminently’. The longer this goes on, the less confident we are that nature will be properly protected.
It’s time for us to up the pressure and take this to the top. Steve Reed MP is the Secretary of State for the Environment, and he is responsible for the MMO. We want the Secretary of State to step in and review the case to make sure the MMO upholds their biodiversity duty and makes the right decision: to stop dumping on our reef and properly protect this marine protected area.
This is where you come in! Public pressure is powerful. We need Steve Reed to know just how many people oppose the Marina’s application to keep dumping sediment on Beachy Head West Marine Conservation Zone. Since we don’t know how ‘imminent’ the MMO’s decision is, we’re launching an urgent call to action: please help us today by sending a message to Steve Reed using our simple e-action. We’ve outlined the key points and it’s easy to add your own words for maximum impact. Your voice can make a real difference!
Take action today: send an email to the Secretary of State
You can recap on the issue and what we’ve done so far here.
The post was originally published on 15 April 2025, and updated on 29 April 2025.
Comments
The dredging has resumed but the dredger is further offshore though only about 1-1.5km from Ovingdean Beach. However, the sea water is already clearer which is great. Is there a way of checking the sea quality now to see the difference? I would like to know if the dredger is far enough out to dump its load.
06 May 2025 09:17:00
This decision starkly shows that there is no protection for our marine environment. Cruel irony as it comes straight after David Attenborough’s new film, Ocean, which graphically shows the damage being done to our seas, which should be the wake up call.
Precious little of our coastal waters have any designations, the thin sliver of Sussex’s internationally rare chalk reef, with its sensitive filter-feeding wildlife is a designated Marine Conservation Zone, but even this hasn’t saved it. Our legal “protection” is woeful. Government seems to care little for our environment. We need a revolution!
22 May 2025 15:31:00