Mr Davies, who is a Welsh Conservative Regional AM for South Wales West, said he would back Gower residents opposing the proposal.
The application, from a consortium called Resource Management Association, wants to extract the sand over the next 15 years from an area about seven miles off Worm’s Head.
“ Gower’s beaches have already been affected by dredging, as have beaches along the whole of Swansea Bay and the Bristol Channel ;”said Mr Davies.“ Sand has leached away off our beaches into the big holes in the channel created by dredging. Some beaches have lost considerable quantities of sand.
“ Places like Gower rely on tourism for their livelihood. Seaside resorts with no sand don’t have much future. ”
Mr Davies, who was raised in the Gower village of Port Eynon, said he would be lodging his own objections to the proposal during the consultation period which ends on February 10 and he urged others to do the same.
“ It is the Welsh Government which will be making this decision, not the UK government in London. So residents opposing the plan should put pressure on their AM’s to get it turned down.
“ Gower is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which we must fight hard to protect .
“ The Bristol Channel has given more than its fair share of materials for the aggregates industry. They must look elsewhere otherwise irreparable damage will be done to our marine environment in South Wales which is already facing the threat of the world’s largest offshore wind turbine development in the shape of the Atlantic Array. Enough is enough .”
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Dredging Today Staff, January 16, 2012; Image: byrondavies