The Goodwin Sands Conservation Trust has written to King Charles, urging him to intervene to protect the treacherous sandbank off Kent, which has entombed over 2,000 shipwrecks and numerous World War II aircraft. The trust fears that dredging for building sand and aggregate could destroy this unique maritime heritage site, which is owned by the Crown Estate.
Joanna Thomson, chair of the trust, expressed frustration after a palace aide referred the matter back to the Crown Estate, saying: “We made clear in our letter it was because we had got nowhere with the crown estate that we were contacting the king, so the reply was rather frustrating.” The trust has asked the Crown Estate to remove the Goodwin Sands from its list of potential marine aggregate extraction sites.
The Crown Estate stated there are currently no plans for aggregate licences in the area but declined to provide a permanent exemption, citing the need for regulatory or national designations such as a highly protected marine area. Campaigners note that while the Marine Management Organisation grants dredging licences, the Crown Estate, as landowner, can refuse to lease the seabed.
Historian Dan Snow, who has dived on the Goodwins, described the wrecks as “extraordinary” and warned that mining could destroy a “rich legacy” spanning 2,000 years. Legal expert Michael Williams argued the Crown Estate should adopt a policy of refusing applications unless exceptional circumstances exist, given the area’s high archaeological potential.
The Goodwin Sands have been a Marine Protected Area since 2019 and also serve as a sea defence for the unstable coastline. The trust is calling for stronger protections to prevent destructive dredging from “running riot through graves”.
