In another important step in developing our Marine Strategy, our marine reserve base has recently been extended with the renewal of the Marine Licence for our marine extraction area Greenwich Light East (Area 473), located in the eastern English Channel. The area has been dredged since 2006 with cargoes delivered to aggregate wharves on the Thames and near Continent.

Marine Licences are determined by the Marine Management Organisation, the regulator for marine works in England, which includes mineral extraction. The renewal has been several years in the planning, with various environmental studies and an EIA undertaken.

The new Marine Licence for this important area allows the extraction of up to 15 million tonnes of sand and gravel from the seabed, for a further 15 years.