Objectors line up as New Forest port inquiry opens
22 November 2001
A proposed container port in the New Forest will cause massive and permanent damage, the Council for National Parks (CNP)1 will tell a Public Inquiry which opens on 27 November2.
"The port at Dibden Bay would destroy the last remaining substantial stretch of open country next to Southampton Water and create a major road and freight railway through an area which is due to become a National Park within a couple of years", said CNP’s planning expert Ruth Chambers.
CNP is one of over 7000 objectors to the port, 177 of which will appear at the Inquiry, which in view of the wide range of objections is expected to take up to a year. The development is being promoted by Associated British Ports.
"Developments such as this are only allowed to go ahead in National Parks if there is a national need and no alternatives" explained Ruth Chambers. "The Dibden Bay proposals fail this strict test3 on both counts, as well as being very environmentally damaging, and should therefore be refused permission by the Secretary of State".
"You couldn’t pick a more unsuitable site for this development", said Ruth Chambers. "It has internationally important wildlife sites and is being proposed4 as part of the first new National Park in England of the 21st century".
"Associated British Ports has paid little heed to the environmental importance of the site and has not assessed properly the environmental impacts of the development".
Notes to editors
1 The Council for National Parks is the national charity that works to protect and enhance the National Parks of England and Wales, and areas that merit National Park status, and promote understanding and quiet enjoyment of them for the benefit of all. The Dibden Bay Public Inquiry will open on 27 November 2001. It is currently timetabled to last until November 2002. The first week of the inquiry will take place at the Applemore Recreation Centre, Claypits Lane, Dibden, Hampshire. From Tuesday 4 December, the inquiry will be held in the Ferry Terminal, 30 Berth, European Way, Eastern Docks, Southampton.
2 Planning policy on major developments in National Parks is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note No. 7. This states that National Parks enjoy the highest status of protection in terms of landscape and scenic beauty. It also states that major developments such as the one at Dibden Bay should not be allowed to proceed unless there are exceptional circumstances and unless, following a rigorous public examination, the proposals can be demonstrated to be in the public interest.
3 The New Forest National Park designation process is well underway. Public consultations have concluded and the Countryside Agency is expecting to submit a Draft Designation Order to the Secretary of State early in the New Year.
4 Ruth Chambers will be available for interview at the Public Inquiry from 8.30am – 9.30am on 27 November. Contact mobile number 07769 676 397.
For press queries please contact:
Ruth Chambers, Head of Policy on
020 7924 4077 ext. 222