Port director calls for compromise on Able UK plans
THE Humber ports director for ABP says a compromise on the disputed planning permission for the £450m Able Marine Energy Park (AMEP) is the right outcome.
Plans have now started to be considered in Westminster surrounding the planning for the Energy Park.
Earlier this year, port operator ABP filed two petitions to Parliament seeking a compromise on the energy park. The park involves the compulsory purchase of a triangle of land owned by ABP, which objected, as it wants to build a new jetty in the same place.
Able UK has warned that enforced compromise would end the development and the creation of thousands of new jobs. However, Humber ports director for ABP John Fitzgerald said he is keen to see new developments on the UK’s most important trading estuary, but is calling on Parliament to support both schemes by encouraging a compromise over the future development of the land it currently owns.
“We want to continue to develop, grow and create local jobs. Able Marine Energy Park (AMEP) is clearly an exciting prospect for the area and we welcome the proposal,” he said. “However, why does it come at the expense of our own Immingham Western Deepwater Jetty plans? These plans are crucial for the continued development of the UK’s busiest port.
“The 13.25 acres of land which Able UK hopes to compulsory purchase is crucial to us, but far from vital to their proposal. This is land that forms just 2% of AMEP. But it represents 100% of our remaining riverside development land at Immingham.”
ABP said its Western Deepwater Jetty and AMEP will help meet the UK’s insatiable demand for energy.
“This will support UK energy security and help ensure the rest of the Port of Immingham can continue to expand to meet the demands of customers and the needs of the economy,” Fitzgerald said.
“We are therefore calling on Parliament to support both schemes by encouraging a compromise over the future development of the land we currently own. This would enable the Humber to benefit from all the jobs that they will create.”
The Able Marine Energy Park was granted approval almost a year ago. The site in Immingham is part of the UK’s largest Enterprise Zone with the potential to create up to 4,000 jobs and is planned to cover 906 acres, providing 1,279 metres of quayside facilities purpose built for the manufacture, assembly and installation of offshore renewable technologies.
“Our compromise means both schemes have to be revised to accommodate each other but crucially for AMEP, a slightly reduced berth will not threaten any of the promised 4,500 jobs as these are based on the land which is not affected by the proposed change,” Fitzgerald said.
“In fact, we, and the offshore wind trade, can’t understand why Able say they need almost 1.3km of berth capacity to accommodate their plans. At Green Port Hull the berth facility is around half that size. ABP’s compromise still leaves AMEP with a massive 1km of quay to develop, which will easily service the market for offshore wind and it would still be the longest single stretch of quay anywhere on the Humber.”
ABP’s 25-year Port Masterplan was published for public consultation in April 2010. Amongst other developments the plan showed ABP’s ambitions to develop Immingham Western Deepwater Jetty (IWDJ) at the Killingholme triangle site to service future needs of fuel market. ABP said Able UK was one of the many parties which responded to the consultation and did not object to IWDJ. This was some years before their plans for AMEP were formally submitted.
Since 2000, ABP has invested more than £350m developing the Humber ports and over the next five years, it plans to invest a further £400m.
Fitzgerald said: “This is a really exciting time for the Humber and we firmly believe that a compromise by ABP and Able UK to secure both AMEP and the future of the Port of Immingham can be achieved.
“In this way the jobs promised from both developments will have the best chance of being created. We believe compromise is in the best interests of the region as well as the people who live and work here; and it’s in the best interests of the nation as well. We hope that the Parliamentary committee will agree and see that compromise is the right way forward.
“Despite Able UK’s recent comment that for them, it is all or nothing, we believe that rather AMEP or IWDJ, the Humber can benefit from both investments and that has to be the best outcome for the Humber and for the country that relies on our ports.”
