Harbour Works

The River Hamble Harbour Board may grant conditional consent permitting Harbour Works according to Section 10 of the Southampton Harbour Act 1924 and Section 48 of the Southampton Harbour Act 1949, as amended by the River Hamble Harbour Revision orders 1969 and 1989. When granting Harbour Works account is taken by the Harbour Board of:

• Responsibility to Navigational Safety
• Responsibility towards the Habitat Regulations

Navigational safety

The Harbour Safety Management System and the associated risk assessments form the base documents that cover navigational safety. A full consultation with all River Users is undertaken by the Authority before amending any relevant risk assessment.

Designated sites and the Harbour Authority’s responsibilities

The River Hamble Harbour Authority is a Relevant Authority and a Competent Authority under The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c) regulations 1994.

The River Hamble is part of the Solent European Marine Site and is afforded protection due to its international nature conservation value.

The majority of the Hamble Estuary falls within the Solent Special Protection Area and Ramsar Site. The tidal areas of the River form part of the Solent Maritime Special Area of Conservation.