Another town council has voted against the dredging of the Goodwin Sands.

Deal councillors supported a motion opposing the work on environmental and heritage grounds last night.

It is the second town council to oppose the scheme in a week in formal response to the latest public consultation.

Dover council did the same six days before.

Members at Deal, at the Town Hall, voted 13-2 in favour of a motion by Cllr Mike Eddy opposing the scheme.

Cllr Eddy said that the town council should express concern about the potential impact on the removal of aggregate on underwater currents.

He said: “It is what is happening underneath the surface that can increase the rate of erosion on the sands and shoreline.

“There are implications for the stability of the local coastline and a potential impact on natural and historic heritage.

“We don’t support purely economic arguments saying that aggregate can’t come from elsewhere.

“Dover Harbour Board’s publicity has been quite divisive in its approach.

“You either support this for the harbour or you’re against it and it’s local nimbyism in Deal. It’s not.

“We understand the need for development but it’s how you go about it.”

The Port of Dover wants to dredge the Goodwin Sands for aggregate for its major Dover Western Docks Revival development.

It argues that it would be too costly to dredge away from the local area.

But Cllr Trevor Bond said: “Ramsgate and Folkestone Harbours constantly have to be dredged.

“I don’t think the case put forward is strong enough for Dover Harbour Board.”

One councillor who voted against the motion was Bob Frost.

He said: “I can see no reason on God’s Earth not to dredge the Goodwin Sands. There is a finite amount of money for this project.”

The Port of Dover is applying for a licence from the government’s Marine Management Organisation for the work and the third public consultation on this ends at midnight tomorrow.

Opponents to the dredging, including North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale and the Deal pressure group Goodwin Sands SOS (Save Our Sands) argue that it would could cause environmental harm and disturb war graves.

The Port of Dover counters that it is only digging 0.22% of the Sands off Deal and it is needed to help provide jobs and regeneration for Dover.

The £250 million DWDR, with a planned marina, shops, restaurants and bars, is the single biggest investment by the port authority.

In August it launched a campaign called Deliver for Dover, arguing the case to dredge.

An advertisement it took out said: “Dovorians are set to lose up to half-a-billion pounds in jobs, regeneration, tourism and new business thanks to a misleading Deal-based protest.”

It added; “The Deal-based protest is set to throw away Dover’s future over a tiny amount of the Goodwin Sands.”

Cllr Wayne Elliott commented that he felt the advertisement was “offensive.”

A Port spokesman said after the Deal meeting: “Having presented our comprehensive evidence carefully reached working with world-leading experts, we are naturally disappointed that the town council have voted to oppose the application.

“We remain greatly encouraged by the wide-ranging support we have received from members of the public and organisations locally and beyond.

"This is both for the thorough and fully compliant approach we have taken to our marine licence application and for full delivery of a £250 million project that will deliver the catalyst for Dover’s long-awaited regeneration.”

You can have your say by going online via the MMO public register at gov.uk/check-marine-licence-register.

Or you can email marine.consents@marinemanagement.org.uk.