Transport

Ports usually require further land-based infrastructure such as roads which often have additional negative impacts:

• loss of wildlife habitats
• noise, light and air pollution
• detrimental effect on the quality of life of local people

The major proposals for London Gateway (Shell Haven) and Bathside Bay will have huge impacts on the environment and local communities and throughout the region.

Shipping - an effective transport solution?

Ships are actually a relatively efficient way of moving large volumes of freight.

• They consume less energy - per tonne moved - than road and even rail
• They produce considerably less pollution than road based transport
• Increased use of coastal and short sea shipping could reduce the levels of freight moved by road as goods could be transported closer to their final destinations by sea

However, while the Government's Integrated Transport White Paper and the White Paper Modern Ports recognise the role of shipping, there is no assessment of the different options available and which combination of modes - road, rail and shipping - would have the fewest environmental and social impacts across the whole transport chain.

Time for Action

We are calling for the Government to find ways to assess the impact of port proposals on:

• local communities
• the wider transport infrastructure
• patterns of transport use

This is essential to allow informed decisions to be taken about the best location for different types of ports.

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