Posted on February 3, 2025
Digging up the Hayle estuary and beach is nothing new, is completely legal and normal and no sand is being “stolen”, officials have confirmed. The developers behind the North Quay scheme and Hayle Harbour Authority have insisted it is all above board as uproar has repeatedly kicked off over the activities.
Once again there have been concerns and anger over what some people see as ‘beautiful golden sand’ being stolen from one of the best beaches in the UK. Taking to social media, people have been commenting that the beach is being dug up, claiming it’s damaging to the environment and is a hazard to beach goers.
Others have launched a petition to see the practice stop. The debate over ‘taking the sand’ has been rearing its head on and off over the last few years, with some people accusing the developers and Hayle Harbour Authority (HHA) of damaging the beautiful asset that is the beach.
But it has again been pointed out that it is all down to the necessary dredging so that boats can get in and out. Hayle harbour gets silted by both Atlantic storms churning up the sand in St Ives Bay and dumping it along the river bank and estuary and by the muddy river flowing down.
The area where dredging for sand covered by the Hayle Harbour Act (HHA) 1989
Cornwall councillor for Hayle West and a member of the Cornwall Harbours Board Cllr Peter Channon said dredging and keeping the river deep enough for boats to get in and out is not only legal but necessary or Hayle harbour would disappear under the sand. He said the harbour is regulated by and operates under the Hayle Harbour Act (HHA) 1989.
He said dredging is paid for by the sale of the sand taken away and as it is illegal for the HHA to dump dredged up sand back in the bay, that is why it has to be taken off site and sold.
He told CornwallLive that up until the 1970s dredging of the harbour was done through sluicing. There were four sluicing points in the harbour which would release vast quantities of water at once at low tide which would force the sand in the channel out to sea and clear it until the next storm would come and undo it all.
Since the closure of the factories and the end of the coal boats coming from Swansea to power the various heavy industries on Hayle Quay, dredging has been done with diggers and lorries as no-one in Cornwall has a dredger big enough to do the job or any sand sucking machines that can do it cheaply.
“It’s not a business to remove the sand,” he added. “It’s a business to clear the channel. It costs a lot of money to do and the only way to pay for it is by selling off the sand.”
He said that the issue seems to raise its head every six months or so but it is a completely legal and legitimate operation to keep the harbour operating.
Cllr Channon added: “It’s not a beach owned by Cornwall Council, it’s part of the harbour and it’s privately owned. The river has to be dredged on a regular basis or the channel becomes too shallow for boats. Put simply, the harbour at Hayle will cease to exist if there is no dredging.”
He said the first furore about sand being dug up came about when failed bankrupt developer Simon Wright, who was behind the collapsed companies that were building the North Quay development, took sand from the area known as Riviera Fields, which is part of the dunes system now overlooking the unfinished development.
Aerial picture of a digger dredging the Hayle estuary, and areas that are now completely covered in sand where dredging has not taken place
He said people got angry but the new contractors, Arpenteur, appointed by the administrators after Mr Wright’s businesses went into administration this time last year, are no longer doing that.
Cllr Channon said the issue is complicated by the fact that the harbour at Hayle is privately owned along with the area of the river estuary and bit of beach where Gilbert’s is located.
On CornwallLive’s Facebook page, many people have commented on our latest story, some with anger, dismay, outrage. Others have explained that the sand taken away to keep the river and channel to the harbour clear, will be back after the next strong swell or storm. Others have said it is absolutely nothing new as it has been going for more than 50 years.
Jason Goss commented: “Nothing has been mentioned for years and years and years all of a sudden houses have been put up on the quayside and now all of a sudden there’s this massive big deal over it. If you don’t like it don’t live there simple. This is not something that’s only just happening it’s been happening for 70 odd years.”
Michael Moore made fun of the work of the sea, adding: “Forgive me if I’m wrong but don’t millions of tonnes of sand move around the coast naturally every tide, every day, every week, every year? It’s called long shore drift or beach drift?” Simon Adkins added: “When they dredge the World War Two pillbox appears. So unless they buried the pillbox after the war there’s a massive amount more sand than there was.
“As much as many people would like to change it, it’s a working port.” Merryck Smith agreed: “It’s still a working harbour it’s just maintenance at the end of the day.”
Aerial picture of the area of the harbour in Hayle back in 2020 before the North Quay development got under way showing completed silted up areas of the river and channel
Dredging at Hayle is regulated by an act of parliament. The Hayle Harbour Act (HHA) 1989 gives the Hayle Harbour Authority (HHA) the authority to dredge Hayle Harbour, operate the harbour, ensure safe navigation, and give the HHA the power to maintain and improve the facility.
In view of the furore on social media with many visitors to the area being ‘angry’, ‘disgusted’ and ‘outraged’, the Hayle Harbour Authority has come out to explain what it is all about.
It has issued a leaflet to help people “understand the dredging process for a safer harbour”. In it it explains how dredging works, what happens to the income from sand sales, how often dredging takes place and how dredging is monitored.
The leaflet explains that dredging is conducted in four main zones of the inner harbour, approach channel, Hayle bar and Lelant. Sand is removed to the levels set by an admiralty chart to ensure the proper depth for navigation.
It also explained that dredging takes place on Spring tides which occur twice a month. They said that dredging is monitored through annual surveys of underwater terrain, timeline photography to track navigational channels and coastal monitoring through a partnership with Plymouth University.
The HHA added: “Dredging ensures a safe channel for fishing and sailing boats, allowing them to navigate the harbour without obstruction. It also helps to naturally flush the channel by maximising tidal flow.”
Dredging taking place at Hayle Beach
A spokesperson for the Hayle North Quay administrators and new contractors who took over the housing development after Mr Wright’s companies went bust owing millions, said there has been a lot of misconceptions circulating on social media about dredging.
In an email to CornwallLive, they said that dredging the channel at Hayle Harbour is perfectly legal, and the Hayle Harbour Authority is given the authority under the Hayle Harbour Act 1989 to undertake operations.
They said dredging is needed to provide a safe channel for fishing and sailing boats to navigate, adding that it maximises the flow of the tide to naturally flush the channel, maintaining the estuaries ecosystem, the site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and nearby RSPB reserve, as well as contributing towards managing flood risk.
They insisted also that dredging is not taking place from the dunes or the beach and sand is only removed from the four zones it is allowed to take place at. They added that the amount of sand taken is monitored by the HHA through timeline photography and bathymetry surveys.
They added: “Dredging operations are not linked to the development at Hayle North Quay. Dredging takes place to maintain the harbour and any proceeds from sand sales is reinvested in the harbour to support the costs of maintaining and operating the harbour. To be clear the sale of sand does not cover operating costs.”
Hayle Town Council said it is aware of the concerns from residents and visitors and are currently in talks with representatives of the Hayle North Quay developers, Environmental Agency, Natural England, Cornwall Council and Hayle Harbour Authority.
It said that all interested parties including Labour’s local MP Perran Moon, have agreed to meet up to report on their findings in the first week of February.
In a post on its Facebook page, the town council said: “It is anticipated by that stage, all parties will be able to speak with more clarity and share the work that has been going on behind the scenes.
“Please be assured that Hayle Town Council is proactively engaging with all relevant bodies and will present information to the public when it is in a position to.”
