Development Consent secured for new London port

The Port of Tilbury on the river Thames has been granted a DCO by the Secretary of State for Transport to build 'Tilbury2' - a new £200 million port terminal adjacent to the current 930 acre site in the outskirts of Greater London.

Pinsent Masons has been advising Forth Ports Group on the scheme since December 2016 and has been instrumental in securing the DCO over the following 26 months. The firm advised on all aspects of applying for and obtaining the DCO including demonstrating the need for Tilbury2 and its benefits; dealing with all objections and negotiations with stakeholders; running the 6 month public examination of the proposals; and ensuring that the legislation for the construction and operation of Tilbury2 is integrated with the legislation applying to the current Port of Tilbury.

Expansion is essential for the Port of Tilbury to cope with rising demand for construction materials and aggregates from Britain's construction sector, imported and exported cars, and an increase in commercial ferry traffic. The current port has doubled in size in the past 10 years and is projected to double the volume of cargo across the quay (from 16 million to 32 million tonnes) and increase direct employment (from 3,500 to 12,000 jobs) over the next 10—15 years.

Preliminary works are already underway and construction of the scheme is set to commence in mid-March. The new port will include; a new rail and road connection, a roll on/roll off ferry terminal, an extended river jetty, new storage areas, and a facility for importing, processing, manufacturing and distributing construction materials.

Robbie Owen, lead partner from Pinsent Masons said, "This is a major milestone for Tilbury2 and an essential part of the Port of Tilbury's wider investment programme. We have been delighted to have been involved in Tilbury2 since it became a DCO scheme and the terms of the Government's decision are a credit to the strong need for the scheme, its benefits, and the way in which it has been promoted by the port. Any DCO submission is a major undertaking, but the collaborative working relationships established have been crucial in obtaining the DCO so quickly, in just over 2 years."

Pamela Smyth, Group General Counsel for Forth Ports Limited said, “This consent for Tilbury2 is an important part of our future growth strategy and we are grateful to the Pinsent Masons team for all their support during this process.”