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AIRBUS
UK/MOSTYN DOCK – RIVER DEE DREDGING
Copy of letter sent to local newspapers and
BBC on 23rd March 2004.
Dear Sir/Madam
We are disappointed that the proposed dredging of the Dee estuary for
Airbus wings to leave at Mostyn, is being presented as a black and white
conflict between the economy and the environment. We simply do not
believe that this needs to be the case.
Much has been made of the economic importance of the Airbus wings project
and rightly so. The international importance of the Dee estuary for the
migrating and wintering birds should also not be under-estimated. More
than 120,000 waterfowl can be found on the estuary at peak times and this
amazing spectacle itself attracts many tourists to the area, another vital
strand of the local economy.
Estuary sand and mud flats are the equivalent of motorway service stations
to many birds, they are essential places to refuel and rest. The proposed
dredge would erode the sandbanks and inter-tidal habitats. There is no
other place for these birds to go.
Alternative solutions can and must be found. For example, high tide
shipment of the wings from Mostyn would negate the need for this damaging
dredge, in the early years, whilst other options are developed. We urge
the Port of Mostyn, Airbus and the regulatory agencies to be flexible and
explore creative solutions, which will allow the commercial and wildlife
interests to co-exist. The Assembly Government has made much of its
sustainable development duty, now is the time to demonstrate this in
practice and find a win-win solution on Deeside.
Yours faithfully
Dr Tim Stowe - Director, RSPB Cymru
Frances Cattanach - Director, North Wales Wildlife Trust
Morgan Parry - Director, WWF Cymru
Julian Rosser - Director, Friends of the Earth Cymru
Neil Friswell - Chairman, Dee Estuary Conservation Group
Tony Perry - Chairman, Deeside Urban Wildlife Group
David Jones - Chairman, Deeside Naturalists
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