Case ref: MLA/2020/00492/2
Licence ref: L/2021/00101/3

Case summary

Main content

Project description

Project title

Project background

Liverpool Marina is located within Liverpool Docks, adjacent to the River Mersey. The marina is situated within two docks - Brunswick Dock and Coburg Dock - within the enclosed dock system that is operated by the Canal & River Trust. Navigation to and from the marina is adversely affected by sedimentation that occurs when sediment from the River Mersey is transferred and deposited into the enclosed dock system. The area inside the inner lock gate at the southern end of Brunswick Dock is particularly affected by sedimentation such that the water levels are reduced to less than 2 metres. In the past, sedimentation has been addressed by either ploughing the sediment level over the general marina area or using a small suction pump on a pontoon and a pipeline to transfer the sediment to an area within the dock system that is not currently in use and has capacity to receive it. However, neither of these practices is sustainable in the long term and, therefore, the marina operator requires a more pragmatic solution to provide the necessary water levels for the marina.

The marina operator needs to undertake annual campaigns of maintenance dredging over the next ten years from 2020-2021 to 2029-2030, and is proposing to dispose of the dredged material by sustainably relocating it to the River Mersey to help maintain the system's sediment budget. Maintenance dredging will be undertaken inside Brunswick Dock using a small hydraulic dredger. The dredger will pump the dredged material along a pipeline lain across Brunswick Dock and the adjacent quayside, and will discharge the dredged material into a ‘placement area’ in the river in front of a former access to Brunswick Dock (which is currently blocked and no longer used). The dredged material will be diluted and dispersed by the river such that the sediment is relocated back into the system from which it was derived to help maintain the system’s sediment budget.

Programme of works

Maintenance dredging is planned to occur annually for ten years between 1 October and 30 March, as follows: 1 October 2020 to 30 March 2021, 1 October 2021 to 30 March 2022, 1 October 2022 to 30 March 2023, 1 October 2023 to 30 March 2024, 1 October 2024 to 30 March 2025, 1 October 2025 to 30 March 2026, 1 October 2026 to 30 March 2027, 1 October 2027 to 30 March 2028, 1 October 2028 to 30 March 2029, and 1 October 2029 to 30 March 2030. Maintenance dredging needs to be completed by 30 March each year so that water depths in the marina are achieved in advance of the principal recreational boating season that begins in spring.

Maintenance dredging is expected to take place 7 days per week and, generally, between the hours of 07:00 and 19:00, subject to some variation around tides. The initial dredging campaign in year 2020-2021 is estimated to require approximately 14 days of dredging and discharging of the dredged material, subject to tides, downtime, etc. The nine subsequent dredging campaigns in years 2021-2022 to 2029-2030 are estimated to require approximately 7 days of dredging and discharging of the dredged material, subject to tides, downtime, etc.

Other information

Applicant details

Mr David Beard / 01517076777 / david@liverpoolmarina.com
LIVERPOOL MARINA / COBURG WHARF LIVERPOOL / L3 4BP

Date application submitted

Date application validated

Date initial decision made

Date decision made for latest variation

Status