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Table of Contents
Background
The MMO is responsible for licencing dredging operations where they are not within the powers defined by Act of Parliament of a Statutory Harbour Authority (SHA).
The SHA is responsible for ensuring that dredging operations undertaken under the Act of Parliament are compliant with environmental regulations.
In 2008 Defra developed the maintenance dredging protocol (MDP) approach (EU birds: Maintenance Dredging Protocol for England). Representatives of the ports and marine leisure industries have agreed to work in co-operation with Defra, the Marine & Fisheries Agency, the Department for Transport and Natural England to develop an approach which allows the effect of maintenance dredging on European sites to be assessed without placing a disproportionate burden on those who commission or approve maintenance dredging operations. The Protocol sets out the process by which this is achieved.
The MMO continued this approach with the 'Baseline Document' produced as part of the MDP process being produced for all English ports. The current approach is described in “Marine licensing guidance 3 Dredging, disposal and aggregate dredging April 2011”.
The Baseline Documents developed first to fullfill this requirement have been revised as part of the SHA's operation, but the revisions appear to have been prompted in a large part by the need for the inclusion of the MDP in any marine disposal licences.
Process
The process is summarised below:
EIR Requests
The current baseline documents do not appear to expose these steps outlined above for the actual operation of maintenance dredging, rather they focus on the disposal of dredged material.