Goodwin Sands was awarded marine protected area (MPA) status by the government last year due to its biodiversity and unique habitats. But despite its status and fervent opposition by local conservationists, archaeologists and historians, millions of tonnes of sand and gravel are about to be dredged from the site, as part of plans to extend the port of Dover.

Conservationists, who failed in a legal bid last year against the Marine Management Organisation’s decision to grant Dover Harbour Board (DHB) a dredging licence for the site, say the impending extraction is further evidence that MPAs are “useless” and fail to protect Britain’s seas.

Goodwin Sands Conservation Trust is now lobbying the government to award the area greater protection, so that further dredging will not happen. It is backed by the Tory MP for Dover, Natalie Elphicke, as well as Dover district council.

Joanna Thomson, the trust’s chair, said: “This is an iconic piece of our maritime history and an important ecological site. What’s the point of an MPA if it offers no protection from dredging? There needs to be greater protections for our marine sites.”

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) said that the area’s protected status was considered in the dredging application, and that significant environmental impact was “unlikely” if several mitigation measures included in the licence are followed. Other conditions include exclusion zones and the requirement to have an on-board archaeologist who will be responsible for checking material dredged.

Jean-Luc Solandt, specialist in MPAs at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “What are our MPAs for if such aggregate extraction, fish trawling and dredging is permitted within them? They are predominantly useless.”

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