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Bathside Bay
Dibden Bay
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Image of a crabBathside Bay

Proposed seaport at Bathside Bay (yellow line encloses development area)
Bathside Bay (yellow line
encloses development area)

Bathside Bay is situated in Essex on the east coast and is surrounded by the ancient port town of Harwich and its younger neighbour, Dovercourt. It is:

  • part of the Stour estuary site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
  • part of the proposed Stour and Orwell estuaries Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar site (wetland of international importance)
  • across the river from the Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

Proposed Development

Hutchison Ports (UK) Ltd. wants to build the second largest container port in the UK, after Felixstowe, with nearly a mile of quayside.

Objections to the proposal

The proposal is being opposed by wildlife NGOs (RSPB, Essex Wildlife Trust), statutory bodies (English Nature, English Heritage, the Environment Agency, the Highways agency), environment NGOs (CPREssex, Friends of the Earth), local residents groups (HEAT, Residents Against Port Expansion, Starboard, Fisherman's Association) and others who are taking part in the Public Inquiry that began in Harwich on April 20th in Harwich and runs until the middle of September.

Wildlife in the area

Most of the area around the Stour and Orwell estuaries is protected because of the presence of salt marshes and inter tidal mudflats which provide feeding grounds for wintering wading birds.

  • more than 65,000 waterfowl spend their winters in the SPA and feed at Bathside Bay
  • the area is of international importance for nine bird species, including black-tailed godwit, redshank, grey plover and ringed plover
  • 69 hectares of inter tidal habitat will be lost

Quality of Life

Despite possible new jobs there will certainly be many detrimental effects for local communities including:

  • traffic generation: 4,000 new vehicle movements and 8-12 new freight train movements per day
  • increased air, noise, water and light pollution
  • loss of recreational space, wildlife and tranquility

For more information:

Dibden Bay >

Image © Hutchison Ports (UK) Ltd

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