Posted on July 3, 2018
It has been agreed that dredging of Tenby harbour will take place early next year, following concerns raised by local councillors and harbour workers over the high level of sandbanks that have formed, causing disruption to boats entering the area.
Members of Tenby Town Council met with representatives of Pembrokeshire County Council and the Tenby Harbour Users Association (THUA) this week to discuss the dredging options for the resort.
The meeting was called for to urgently explore dredging options for Tenby, following concerns raised by THUA and the town council, who were seeking a ‘firm commitment’ from PCC that a dredging licence had been applied for, after refuting claims that a plan had already been agreed by the authority.
Emyr Williams, assistant engineer at PCC, informed the meeting that the authority were now in a position to submit the dredging application, which would cover a slightly larger area than the last land-based dredge three years ago.
He said he would do this before the end of July, meaning that the licence should be in place by January to all for a dredge to be undertaken before the boats went back in the water at the harbour at Easter time.
The meeting was informed that the town council’s favoured option would be for the sand to be removed via a sea-based dredge and used to replenish the South Beach, but PCC harbours line manager, Sarah Edwards, pointed out that this would require sampling of the South Beach, and as results of sampling on the North Beach had taken two months to come back, she was anxious that this would delay the process and the opportunity of a March dredge would be lost,
THUA chairman, Angus Dunlop, said that they had been in contact with the master of the Sospan Dau for a possible sea-based dredge who was happy to look at the situation and felt that this should not be discounted as it was the long term ambition of both the THUA and town council.
Clr. Trevor Hallett said that he would like to see the sand returned to the South Beach, but Mr. Williams felt that redepositing would have little effect.
He said that there was conflicting opinion on causes of the sand removal on South Beach, which he felt was due to weather patterns in the Atlantic over the last 20 years or so which had caused easterly storms.
Weather patterns had changed westerlies in recent years and there was evidence of sand coming back onto beaches in other areas of the county, he explained.
Mr. Williams added that the historic blocking of the Ritec Estuary for the construction of the railway line had also had an effect on the South Beach and likened putting the amount of sand that would be removed from the harbour onto South Beach to putting ‘a teaspoonful on a rugby pitch’.
He also urged caution over removing too much sand from the area in front of the seawall as more sand actually reduced wave powe. However, he agreed that the channel to the harbour needed to be kept open.
It was agreed at the meeting that PCC press ahead with submitting the required applications for a land-based dredge with a view to obtaining a licence in January.
Mrs. Edwards pointed out that the land-based licence would be valid for three to five years, giving PCC a fall back option of another land-based dredge in future years, if a sea-based dredge was discounted and further dredging necessary.
She said that the requirement would be assessed annually within the licence period.
Source: Tenby
