1 December 2011COUNCIL WELCOMES LATEST NEWS ON THE EXPANSION OF THE PORT OF DOVER
"The Government’s decision on the Port of Dover is major news for the area" Says Paul Watkins.
Dover District Council is welcoming major news that the Government has this week given the go ahead for Dover’s second ferry terminal. The Port of Dover has said that approving the £400m scheme will, when market conditions require its construction, effectively double the capacity of Dover’s ferry port.
The approval of the Harbour Revision Order follows extensive work between Dover Harbour Board and Dover District Council, which led to the completion of legal agreements earlier this year. These will require Dover Harbour Board, or any other future operator, to bring forward early infrastructure, access arrangements, including new junctions on the A20, and associated matters, in advance of the construction of a second terminal at Dover.
This also comes in the same week that the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement set out a Government commitment to building a new Lower Thames crossing.
Cllr Paul Watkins, Leader of DDC said:
"The Government’s decision on the Port of Dover is major news for the area, and we look forward to working with Dover Harbour Board and any other operators to see an early start to key work for the future, including infrastructure improvements and the major development of the Waterfront. This is a very important step for the district and is great news as a range of projects continues to move forward for the future of the area.
“The statement around the Lower Thames crossing, when linked to the expansion of the Port, also helps with the case for upgrading the M2/A2 route to Dover and East Kent. We very much look forward to working with the County Council, the Local Enterprise Partnership, and other partners to realise these strategic improvements.”
We featured the report from the Port of Dover on our frontpage quite recently...but we will reproduce it again here for easy assimiliation..see also copy 215 in our archive ALL RECENT FEATURES.
Government approves second ferry terminal at Dover.
In what is being described as a significant vote of confidence in the strategic direction of the UK’s busiest trust port, the Government has today formally given the go ahead for Dover’s second ferry terminal (Terminal 2).
Approving the £400 million scheme will, when market conditions require its construction, effectively double the capacity of Dover’s ferry port. The decision is a clear sign that the Government expects traffic through this key gateway to increase substantially beyond the current recession.
This is also fantastic news for the town of Dover as it allows the related waterfront enabling works that are the necessary pre-cursor to the regeneration of this part of Dover, a development described locally as the catalyst for Dover’s renaissance, to be delivered in advance of Terminal 2.
Bob Goldfield, Chief Executive, Port of Dover, said: “This is a great day for the Port and its long term future, for our local community and for the long-term resilience of the UK economy, all of which have been at the forefront of our minds during the development of this scheme.”
The Government’s announcement that Terminal 2 can be built is further testament to the exceptional lengths to which Dover Harbour Board has gone in order to consult and engage with its customers, stakeholders and the local community. The few holding objections submitted were removed earlier this year following further positive engagement with the respective bodies and so Terminal 2 was unopposed when the Secretary of State made the decision to approve the scheme.
Director of Port Development, Mike Krayenbrink, who managed the master planning process added: “The scale and detail of consultation that has been undertaken at all levels over the past few years has been unprecedented. It is a clear indication of how seriously we take our responsibility to develop the Port both as a national asset and as a key part of the local community."
Terminal 2 will be the single biggest development ever to be undertaken by Dover Harbour Board and will become the second biggest ferry terminal in the UK after Dover’s existing ferry terminal in the Eastern Docks.
Bob Goldfield concluded: “This decision should give confidence that good things are now starting to happen for Dover and that the team at the Port is determined to play a big part in ensuring the future growth and prosperity of both Port and town together.”
See also the 'Second Ferry Terminal Approved' thread in our Forum.
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Clean-up on Western Heights.
These pictures show a team of students from Pent Valley Technology College in Folkestone working on the Western Heights recently. This team has been repairing and maintaining some of the footpaths and steps on Clarendon and Drop Redoubt Field. They have been led by school staff and also by Paul Sampson of the White Cliffs Countryside Partnership and Connextions. The volunteers were cleaning the steps and replacing old pea gravel with new... and generally tidying up prior to the oncoming winter.
Dover has a whole raft of volunteers in all sections of the community and very lucky we are to have them. It all of course has nothing whatsover to do with our political masters, but yes it is the big society in action, but without the capital P for politics. The guys shown here give up their time to do an essential and fabulous job.
Many thanks to Paul Sampson of WCCP for the pictures and info.If anyone is interested in joining in with the volunteer tasks please check their website or contact the office on 01304 241806 for more information.
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If you have a topical press release please send it in to dover7@msn.com. Doverforum today passed the 140,000 posts marker. Since I put this strapline on here just three/four weeks ago there have been 10,000 posts !! Staggering! Huge thanks to all the guys participating. Overall we have had 4.97million viewings..as I write.. see the blue bar on frontpage for detail. PB.
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