Marine aggregates are amongst society’s most versatile materials and their potential uses go well beyond the obvious applications in the field of construction. Free-draining sand is particularly valuable for leisure uses and is widely used on sports pitches which otherwise become impossible for play after heavy use in the winter time. Sand and gravel are used in large quantities as a bed for pipe laying. The naturally rounded nature of marine sand make it particularly suitable for use in children’s playgrounds, and also in horse exercise areas.

Case study

Marine sand has a host of potential leisure uses ranging from a top dressing for sports pitches to fill for golf course bunkers. The fact that the coarser grades of sand are particularly free-draining means that it has even been used in the elephant compound at Bristol Zoo! The same non-compacting qualities also make it popular for riding schools and other equestrian uses. BMAPA members Norwest sand & ballast has found the sand it dredges off the coastline of north west England particularly popular with riding schools over a 50-mile radius of its dock at Liverpool. "It's ideal for our needs," says Janet Baker of the Bold Heath Equestrian Centre near Widnes. "We mix the sand with a number of additives like shredded rubber to provide a surface which provides bounce but drains well."