Crisis in Cornwall as £150m tourist plan could unleash tonnes of toxic sludge

A £150 million plan to redevelop and modernise a dock in coastal town in Cornwall has led to an uproar among the locals. Environmentalists have raised concerns about the proposal about Falmouth Docks that could lead to hundreds of thousands of tonnes of toxic sludge being dumped at sea.

Falmouth Docks and Engineering Company (FDEC) and A&P Falmouth Ltd have applied to Cornwall Council for planning permission, and to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) for a licence, to build new wharves, create a new area to build floating offshore windfarms and enhance berth capacity for alongside docking for improved cruise and cargo capacity.

If approved, the £150 million proposal could see up to 200,000 passengers visit the port every year by 2030, which, in turn, could boost the local economy by an additional £13 million and create more than 350 jobs, reports Cornwall Live. However, the experts fear that the plan could have a "catastrophic disaster" on the unique marine habitat within the Fal Estuary.

Penryn-based environmental campaigner Sophie Miller said: "The dredging is framed as part of a 'modernisation of the docks' that will enable Falmouth to support larger cruise ships and military contracts as well as floating offshore wind (FLOW) deployment in the Celtic Sea - a big UK government priority - saying that it will create 'green jobs' in renewables supply chains and that it is part of a transition away from traditional/heavy industry.

"But larger cruise ships are far from 'green infrastructure' - they mean significantly more air pollution for Falmouth (one cruise ship ticking over has the same emissions as a million cars), increased sewage discharge into our local sea and more carbon emissions locally. Also there's no evidence provided that FLOW-related infrastructure even needs a deeper harbour. Offshore wind components can and are transported on vessels with shallower drafts than the ultra-deep cruise liners the dredge is actually designed to accommodate.

"Their claim of environmental benefit is therefore inaccurate. They are using FLOW as a 'green wash' to push through dredging that serves the cruise industry."

Environmental experts fear that the move would see around 850,000 tonnes of toxic waste from the docks dredged and dumped out at sea.

They are urging Falmouth Town Council and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to reject the marine licence unless current surveys are conducted, a comprehensive 'appropriate assessment' is completed, and key habitats such as maerl receive assured protection. Despite these concerns, the town council gave its backing to the planning application back in April.

Chris Ranger, a Fal oyster fisherman and merchant, told CornwallLive: "I am surprised to see another application to dredge the Falmouth Docks, albeit a smaller amount of dredging: 850,000 tonnes compared to the old 1.25m tonnes, but the concern of the currently dormant toxic heavy metals being re-suspended during the dredging, is just the same.

"There is great concern for unique marine habitat within the Fal Estuary, including probably the last natural native oyster biomass forming a significant part of the 5-15 per cent left globally, and then there is the eel grass that actually has presidency over the native oysters, as well as the old maerl beds that prevented the last application from going ahead."