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Felixstowe south reconfiguration
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Felixstowe South (yellow line
encloses development area)
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The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the UK and the
fifth largest in Europe, and is situated on the east coast of the UK at
the mouth of the Stour and Orwell estuaries. It is:
- half a km from Shotley Peninsula which is part of the Stour &
Orwell Special Protection Area (SPA) and the Suffolk Coasts and Heaths
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
- less than 2 kms across the mouth of the estuary from Harwich
Proposed Development
Hutchison Ports (UK) Ltd. have applied to reconfigure the southern part
of the existing port, known as Felixstowe South, which will involve the
creation of a new deep water container terminal, a quay extension
of almost 1km, with 13 quayside cranes. There will be a loss
of approximately 28 hectares of sub-tidal habitat due to dredging.
The proposal also includes the provision of a new rail terminal at the
northern end of the existing port.
Objections to the proposals
There are many fewer environmental concerns over the proposals at Felixstowe
South compared to other port developments because the proposals are essentially
re-using an area that has already been developed. This would provide additional
capacity of 1.5m TEUs per year.
Wildlife in the area
- Increased dredging could affect sub-tidal habitats which support marine
and ecosystems and waterfowl
Quality of life
The local communities would be affected by:
- additional road and rail traffic into and out of the site.
- the provision of a good quality year round ferry service between Harwich,
Shotley Gate and the port, provided by the developers and local councils,
that could lead to closer ties between these communities and greater
job opportunities.
For more information:
London_Gateway
>
Image © Hutchison Ports (UK) Ltd
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