Objectives of Licensing Control                           See main Consents Page

The Act requires the licensing authority, in deciding whether to issue a licence, to have regard to the need to:

   protect the marine environment and the living resources which it supports and human health;

 

   prevent interference with legitimate use of the sea

        

   minimise and nuisance, noise or arising from the disposal of waste,  and

 

   to such other matters as the authority considers relevant

The controls exercised by the Act apply to the deposit or placement of articles and materials that it is proposed to use during construction.   In this context, primary amongst our environmental considerations are the potential hydrological effects; interference with other marine activities; the possibility of turbidity and drift of fine materials to smother seabed flora and fauna, and adverse implications for designated conservation areas.

The controls apply equally to all waste materials which are dumped at sea (principally dredged materials) where, in addition to the environmental factors above, consideration may focus particularly on the potential risk to fish and other marine life from contaminants and burial of benthic communities.