Archived press release

Bathside bay - locals to vote on damaging port proposals

24 March 2005

Local people opposed to a major deep sea container port development [1] near Harwich are being urged to vote in a special Parish Poll [2] on the issue on Thursday 31 March.

Friends of the Earth will join other organisations on the streets of Harwich and Dovercourt over the Easter holidays to urge residents to vote YES to the question "Do you oppose the development of a deep sea container port at Bathside Bay?"

Campaigners will talk to the public and hand out leaflets explaining the poll [3], where to vote [4] and why Friends of the Earth and other organisations are opposed to the development [5] at Bathside Bay, near Harwich. Friends of the Earth is also offering to provide lifts to the polling station for those who have difficulties getting there [6,7].

Jenni Meredith, co-ordinator of Stour and Orwell Estuary Friends of the Earth said:

"The people that will be profoundly affected by this destructive port proposal have an unprecedented opportunity to tell politicians, shortly before the General Election, what they really think of these monstrous plans. We are working hard to get every registered elector out to vote, and will provide transportation for people that have difficulty attending. This is local democracy in action."

Campaigners hope to use the results of the poll to influence the decisions by Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott and Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling, on the port planning applications, expected in the autumn of this year. The proposal was the subject of a five month long public inquiry in 2004 [8].

Notes

[1] A private company, Hutchison Ports (UK) Ltd., a wholly controlled subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa Hong Kong, has applied to build a 100 hectare (247 acre) deep sea container port at Bathside Bay, Harwich. The application is for a 1400m quay with 11 quay side rail-mounted cranes, measuring 113 m when the boom is extended, 44 rubber-tired gantry cranes measuring 21m in height and three rail-mounted loading cranes, 20m in height. There will be storage for 28,000 TEUs (the unit used for measuring container boxes, meaning a "twenty foot equivalent unit", approximately equivalent to one and a half 20m container boxes). The new rail terminal will have a capacity for 462,000 TEUs. The site will also have associated buildings, parking areas and other facilities and will be protected by security fencing with lighting on all structures during all the hours of darkness. The site will be in use day and night, 364 days a year.

When completed and working at total capacity, the port will generate over 3,000 HGV movements per day and between 8 and 12 train movements.

The UK's largest container port at Felixstowe lies across the estuary and further east from Bathside Bay and is also owned by Hutchinson Ports (UK) Ltd. They have been given permission to increase the capacity at Felixstowe Trinity III, and building work is largely complete. They have also applied to reconfigure an existing portion of the port at Felixstowe South which will increase the capacity of the port by another 1.5 m TEUs.

Bathside Bay is now an area of inter-tidal mudflats and some `reclaimed' land which lies immediately west of the small historic port of Harwich and north of Dovercourt in Essex. The area around the site and the site itself are `protected' by various international, national and local environmental designations. English Nature has set a schedule for altering the boundaries of the current Stour and Orwell Estuaries SPA (Special Protection Area) to include the site itself. The Stour estuary is largely a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), with RAMSAR designated wetlands (wetlands of international importance).

[2] The poll will be held on March 31^st from 4 PM to 9 PM at 12 polling stations on 7 sites around the parish.

The right for any parish in England and Wales to hold a parish poll is given in the Local Government Act 1972, Chapter 70, Schedule 12 Meetings and proceedings of local authorities, Section 99 Part III Parish Meetings. Paragraphs 14 through 21 are the relevant paragraphs.

11 electors of the Parish of Harwich and Dovercourt called for a poll on the port development at a Special Parish Meeting held on March 2^nd, 2005.

[3] The Parish Poll will be by secret ballot and will ask electors one question only. The question on the ballot paper will be: "Do you oppose the development of a deep sea container port at Bathside Bay?". To oppose the port people will need to vote YES, to support it they will need to vote NO.

[4] The 12 polling stations are at 7 sites including Park Pavilion, Barrack Lane; Dovercourt Central Church Hall; Tendring Adult Community College; Community Centre, Long Meadows; Chase Lane Primary School; Spring Meadow Primary School; Roman Catholic Church Hall, Fronks Road (yet to be confirmed).

[5] Friends of the Earth is opposing the port development because

• it is unsustainable,
• there are less destructive ways of regenerating the area, and
• the economic `benefits' do not outweigh the huge environmental costs and damage to:
• the quality of life of the residents of Harwich, Dovercourt and Shotley Gate from noise, air, water and light pollution; traffic congestion and pollution; loss of tranquility
• the historic nature and setting of the town
• to the wildlife
• the beautiful and tranquil landscape of the surrounding area
• the transport infrastructure and related communities across the region through increased traffic coming from and going into the port
• the tourist industry and its job opportunities

English Nature, the Environment Agency, English Heritage, the Highways Agency, Friends of the Earth, Essex Wildlife Trust, CPREssex, Marine Conservation Society and the RSPB have all made objections to the application. The local Friends of the Earth group, Stour and Orwell Estuary Friends of the Earth, is campaigning against the development with others in a coalition under the banner of Residents Against Port Expansion. Other organisations opposing the development include the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Project, HEAT, Starboard, the Harwich Fisherman's Association and many individuals

[6] Further information can be obtained from Jenni Meredith (01255 552423); John Noble (01255 553718); or Mary Edwards (07880756687).

[7] Anyone having difficulty getting to a polling station should contact Jenni Meredith on 01255 552423 to arrange a lift. If the line is busy, leave a message on the answer phone and Mrs. Meredith will get back to you to arrange the time for your ride to the polling station.

[8] The port development was the subject of a public inquiry which started on April 20^th, 2004, the same day the Government announced that they were denying the application by ABP for the development of a deep-sea container port at Dibden Bay. The Bathside Bay PI was officially closed on October 21^st, 2004.

The inspector for the inquiry was Mr. Ken Smith and his report was due to be received by the Secretaries of State, Prescott and Darling, by March 10^th, 2005. Early indications from the ODPM and DfT are that the decision by the SsoS will probably not be announced until the autumn of this year.

The other current deep sea container port applications at London Gateway (Shell Haven) and Felixstowe South are also awaiting decisions by the Secretaries of State.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust