Delay over Helmsdale Harbour dredging
Work to clear a badly silted East Sutherland harbour is being held up while the relevant authorities discuss where to dump the debris after it is removed from the sea, it has emerged.
Highland Council was in the process of submitting an application for a licence to carry out the work when it was told not to proceed until a dumping site had been identified.
A spokesperson for the local authority said: “The marine licence has not been granted. We were in the process of submitting it when the issue with the dump site arose.
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“Licensing staff at the Marine Directorate advised that the application should not be submitted until the dump site issue is resolved.”
The spokesman added that once the licence was granted, dredging was likely to be carried out using a long-reach excavator at the entrance to the harbour and the harbour basin.
The harbour issue was briefly raised at a meeting of Helmsdale Community Council last Thursday when chairperson Allison Cowie said: “In the days they used a dredger, they would take it (the debris) out to sea. They now want them to dump it on the beach.”
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