North sea 2000: The crown estate commissioners role

Abstract

The origins of the Crown Estate go back at least to the reign of King Edward the Confessor, and until the time of King George III, the reigning Sovereign received its rents and profits. Since then, however, these revenues have been surrendered by the Sovereign to Parliament as part of the arrangement for the provision of a Civil List. Included within the Crown Estate is the seabed. In 1989, about 27 × 10⁶ tonnes of sand and gravel were extracted from the seabed, representing about 17% of the total UK supply. The Crown Estate Commissioners license the extraction in accordance with the Government View Procedure which is administered by the Department of the Environment. The revised Government View Procedure published by the Department of the Environment in May 1989 has led to a substantial increase in the consultation with other seabed user interests, and incorporates the requirements under the 1988 EC Directive on Environmental Impact Assessment. The production of marine aggregate has grown consistently since licences were first issued in the 1960s. Demand has been particularly strong in the last 5 years, and the outlook is for further growth in the twenty-first century.