Representation by London Gateway Port Limited (London Gateway Port Limited)
- Date submitted
- 20 June 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Introduction and Background London Gateway Port Limited, LG Park Freehold Limited and LG Park Leasehold Limited (collectively hereinafter referred to as DPWLG) are the owners and operators of DP World London Gateway Port (the Port) and DP World London Gateway Logistics Park (the Logistics Park) on the north bank of the Thames Estuary in Stanford-le Hope, Essex. The Port is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) and makes a significant contribution to the national economy1. Once fully developed, the Port will comprise deep sea shipping and container handling facilities with an annual throughput that will equate to approximately 27% of the predicted national growth in such trade by 2030. The Logistics Park will provide up to approximately 740,000sq.m of vital commercial floorspace. Both are of national significance and importance. DPWLG Concerns The proposed export cable corridor (the "ECC") crosses the deep-water routes (the Sunk and Trinity which lead to Black Deep) (the "DWRs") into the Port of London. The DWRs are the only approaches available for larger vessels to access London Gateway Port. The DWRs are currently both used for entry and exit into/from the London Gateway Port but in the future, as vessels get bigger it may be necessary for one DWR route to be used for entry and one for exit. The Five Estuaries Offshore Windfarm Project works have the potential to cause short and long-term impacts to navigation and to the capacity and operation of London Gateway Port, particularly from the works associated with the ECC. These impacts include: • Permanent impacts because of VE cable depths • Permanent and temporary impacts from surveys, cable laying and repair/maintenance • Permanent impacts from interaction with third party schemes (cable crossings) • Temporary impacts from interaction with third party schemes (simultaneous operations) • Permanent impacts from the location of the offshore sub station platforms • Temporary and permanent impacts from the safety zones • Temporary and permanent impacts from dredging • Temporary impacts on the PLA’s onshore navigational equipment • Permanent impact from the change in cable depth due to changes in riverbed/sea • Temporary impact in the dredged depth during installation The range of impacts vary from vessel displacement and delays to placing a constraint on the size of vessel that achieve access to London Gateway port and thus, its future growth and overall capacity. Footnote: 1 Paragraph 1.2 of NPS for National Networks confirms other NPS statements may be relevant to decisions on NSIPs. Paragraph 3.3.6 of National Policy Statement for Ports recognises the essential contribution to the national economy that international and domestic trade makes through the UK’s Ports.