Local Communities

Port developments will have negative impacts on those who must live next door to the 24 hours a day, 7 days a week port operations.

Impact on quality of life

The development of land for commercial uses such as ports can have detrimental effects on the inhabitants of an area:

Pollution will increase from many sources including:

• air pollution from ships engines and from lorries, trains and cars used in the transport of boxes and port workers
• water pollution from cleaning operations, accidental spillage and the import of rubbish and non native organisms on ship hulls
• noise pollution from the loading, unloading and storage of container boxes and noise from transport to, from and within the port
• greatly increased light pollution as cranes, security fencing, storage areas and buildings are lighted to a high level for operations, safety and security

There will also be increased traffic on roads and rail both in the immediate vicinity of the ports and across the wider countryside as thousands of lorry and rail movements are added to the existing transport loads.

The greater volume of shipping traffic raises concerns over safety and emergency procedures for local communities in the event of accidents.

Local communities and the wider population will also suffer the loss of the beauty and tranquility of these unique landscapes with the:

• Loss of recreational land
  
• Loss of open green space
  

The impact of modern port developments and their alteration of the landscape will have subsequent effects on the surrounding environment, heritage and wildlife.

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© 2004, Portswatch, info@portswatch.org.uk