Bo Lerenius, Group Chief Executive of ABP Holdings PLC, said, 'We are pleased that the Government recognises the huge contribution that the ports industry makes to the UK and the need to encourage the market to develop ports to meet growth in traffic.' He expressed the hope that consent would now be given for ABP's proposed Dibden Bay Container Terminal in the Port of Southampton. There are expectations that the Dibden Bay decision could be taken as early as this month.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has announced that it would consider legal action to stop Dibden Bay from going forward. The RSPB argues that under the European Commission's Habitat Directive, the British Government must consider alternative sites that may be less damaging to the environment, essentially restating the call for a national ports policy.

The RSPB joined seven other national environmental NGOs earlier this month to launch PortsWatch, a campaigning network which wants a moratorium on all proposed deep sea container port developments until a methodology for determining the need for greater port capacity has been widely agreed and it is demonstrated that the best use is being made of existing ports.

Other founding members of PortsWatch include the Campaign to Protect Rural England (east of England), Friends of the Earth, the Marine Conservation Society, Transport 2000, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, and the Wildlife Trusts.

The group also calls for the development of a national spatial strategy to indicate suitable/ preferred and environmentally responsible locations for major port developments, the use of 'environmental footprinting' of ports and associated infrastructure in making decisions about proposed developments, the introduction of demand management techniques to promote short sea and coastal shipping, and the completion of an assessment of how port developments contribute to meeting integrated transport objectives.

MJ Information No: 19101