Calls for improved dredging at Brighton

Berth holders are demanding that Premier Marinas acts now to improve access to Brighton Marina.

Premier has recently issued a Notice to Mariners (No2 of 2020, revised 08.12.20) advising that while the marina entrance was dredged in mid-2020 to 1.7m below chart datum (CD), recent depth estimates indicate the dredged channel to be 0.5m or less below CD.

Skippers of vessels with a draft in excess of 1m are being advised to wait two hours either side of low water before navigating the marina.

Premier said a ‘scheduled pause’ in dredging came into effect at the end of August, as part of requirements of its marine licence, issued by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). This is to allow for the results of ecological monitoring data collected at the dredge disposal site and it is still waiting on the MMO for the outcome of this review.

Many boat owners say the problem of silting is an ongoing issue.