Following the Benyon Report published earlier this year, the government has now launched a Call for Evidence giving the public the opportunity to express their opinion regarding the five proposed Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA) pilot schemes.
Within these HPMAs, commercial activities such as marine aggregate extraction that damage and destroy the seabed, will be completely banned.
Goodwin Sands marine conservation zone is not listed as a pilot scheme but we feel strongly that it should be, as none of the. proposed sites are under such threat from aggregate extraction.
Indifference is tantamount to agreement. We are therefore urging you to respond to this
with your views before 15th December 2020. The best way to do this is to fill in the additional comments box (number 9) at the bottom of the form.
Reasons the Goodwin Sands MCZ should become an HPMA include:
- protected habitats recognised by Defra are under threat from marine aggregate extraction
- the Sands act as a vital sea defence for the unstable East Kent foreshore
- the area contains the wrecks of a recorded 2,000 ships spanning 700 years or more – probably the largest maritime graveyard in the world – some say 50,000 souls have drowned there
- the area holds the graves of scores of young British, American, German and Polish airmen from WWII