Brighton Marina Reapplies for Ten-Year Dredging Licence
Premier Marinas has submitted a fresh application to the Marine Management Organisation for a decade-long licence to carry out maintenance dredging at Brighton Marina.
Fresh application after licence quashed
Premier Marinas has applied for a ten-year marine licence from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to carry out maintenance dredging at Brighton Marina. The application proposes disposing of dredged material at an established marine disposal site off Newhaven.
This application follows the withdrawal of a previous ten-year licence granted in May 2025. That licence was challenged by Sussex Wildlife Trust through a judicial review. In November 2025, the MMO withdrew its defence, accepting that it had not properly considered whether adverse impacts on the Beachy Head West Marine Conservation Zone should be avoided, minimised or mitigated. The licence was subsequently quashed.
Why dredging matters
Maintenance dredging excavates and removes materials from the seabed to keep the marina accessible. The process remains contentious, with concerns raised about damage to marine habitats, increased water turbidity, pollutant release and impacts on ecologically sensitive areas.
Following the loss of the ten-year licence, Premier Marinas submitted a one-year interim licence application earlier this year, arguing that dredging was essential to maintain safe navigation.
What happens next
Premier said detailed technical work has been carried out to assess the suitability of Newhaven as a long-term disposal solution. The company hopes to begin dredging in spring 2027.
John Cervenka, chief operating officer at Premier Marinas, said: "For more than a year, there has been real uncertainty around the future of maintenance dredging at Brighton Marina. Getting to the point where we can submit this application is therefore an important step, but it isn't the end of the process."
Once validated, the application will enter the MMO's formal consultation process. This will allow berth holders, marina businesses, users and members of the community to submit representations.
Site selection process
Premier identified Newhaven after examining limited alternative disposal sites across the Sussex coast. An Environmental Impact Assessment screening application was submitted to the MMO in May, with the MMO confirming in June that the proposed works did not require a full environmental impact assessment.
Premier commissioned specialist marine consultancy work, undertaken jointly with Newhaven Port, to model sediment dispersion at the disposal site. The work examined 15 different disposal scenarios covering varying combinations of activity by Brighton Marina and Newhaven Port.
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