The report, commissioned from Amion Consulting by EEDA, concluded that EastPort will contribute to economic development and regeneration in Great Yarmouth and nearby Lowestoft.

The study report for EEDA was commissioned in response to a request from EastPort in 2001 for funding towards the cost of constructing the new harbour.

Any offer of grant will be subject to UK Government and (if necessary) European Commission approval, and will also be dependent upon EastPort obtaining all necessary development consents. The development already has the backing of Great Yarmouth Port Authority, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Norfolk County Council.

East Port Great Yarmouth Ltd are proposing to develop a £32m Outer Harbour, (known as EastPort) which will have a single, fully equipped ro-ro terminal with space for a second terminal to be added later;

general purpose quays to accommodate two ships of up to 160m in length; space for a fifth quay to be added; sufficient draft to accommodate ships of up to 8m draft; 11 hectares of reclaimed back-up land; scope to extend within Parliamentary limits; stopping and turning space for vessels of 180-200m length; and an option for future rail ferry connections. In May of last year, Superfast Ferries SA, a subsidiary of Attica Enterprises Group, was selected to operate a new freight and passenger route from Great Yarmouth to The Netherlands.

Outline design proposals for a new Outer Harbour at East Port Great Yarmouth were prepared by Posford Duvivier, Consulting Engineers, in 2000. The design report offered two alternative layouts, 'R1' and 'R2'.

In both schemes, the harbour is formed by two breakwaters with the main breakwater springing from the north side of the entrance of the River Yare then curving round parallel with the coast line in a northerly direction 600m off shore. Protection from the north is provided by the lee breakwater located 835m to the north which thrusts out in a south-easterly direction from the beach. An entrance 190m wide is provided in the east face of the harbour. For Scheme R1 the ro-ro berths and general cargo quays are located such that the vessels are in line with the likely worst direction of wave penetration inside the Harbour so that wave action at the berths is kept to a minimum.

Scheme R2 is identical to R1 except that the layout allows for one Ro-Ro ferry berth to be positioned just inside the harbour entrance to facilitate a future rail connection, if necessary.

Both schemes provide an area of reclamation of approximately 11 hectares which requires part of the harbour basin to be dredged down to minus 9.5 chart datum to provide a balance of material. The remainder of the harbour will be dredged to minus 8.5 chart datum.

Data provided by consultants HR Wallingford indicates that on ebb tide, flows across the entrance run at speeds of up to 3 knots, and up to 3.5 knots at flood tide. The layout provides some 600m straight-line water space on entry to the harbour.

This is considered adequate for either slow or fast entry techniques, including in adverse wind and tide conditions. The design has the additional bonus that a slack beaching slope has been provided without hard structures.

The wave climate within Yarmouth Roads is relatively benign though subject to long term variation, depending on the configuration of the off-shore banks. Analysis of wave data presented by consultants HR Wallingford indicates that waves in excess of 1.0m at the harbour entrance are predicted to occur for only 4.6 per cent of the time.

The proposed breakwater and reclamation edge protection sections are designed to incorporate sand filled geocontainers or geo-textile bags in lieu of rock, to the extent practical. A berm has been incorporated into the shore length of the main breakwater to reduce wave reflections in the river harbour entrance and to reduce over-topping. Concrete block structures have been incorporated on each side of the harbour entrance to define the navigable width.