Unit 4a

• Port of Southampton:

  • Located close to the English Channel, one of the world's busiest seaways
  • Major stop-off port between North America and mainland Europe
  • Leading cruise liner and car handling port
  • Second largest deep-sea container terminal in Britain
  • Handles over 35 million tonnes of cargo a year
  • Crucial to the UK's economy
  • Regional economy benefits by £1.3 billion annually
  • 15,000 jobs directly or indirectly depend on the port
• Dibden Bay:

  • Area of land reclaimed from the sea by in-filling with materials dredged from other parts of Southampton water
  • Considered a brownfield site
• Dibden Bay's environmental sensitivity:

  • Mudflats along Southampton water are rich and diverse ecosystems
  • Important feeding grounds for resident and visiting birds
  • Listed as Special Protection Areas (SPAs)
  • Reclaimed land is important as an open space and wildlife retreat
  • Given the status of Site of Importance for Nature Conservation
• Changes at Dibden Bay for the new container port:

  • Extensive landscaping of the surrounding area
  • New tidal inlet and mudflat area
  • New glades, hedgerows, nature reserve, picnic sites, shoreline trails, view points, footpaths, and cycleways planned
• Necessity of building the Dibden Bay container terminal:

  • Southampton container terminal is busy but short of space
  • Little room to expand to meet expected massive growth in trade
  • Faces stiff opposition from European ports like Le Havre, Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Hamburg
  • Shipping companies may use European ports if facilities in Southampton are not big enough
• Advantages of building the container terminal at Dibden Bay:

  • Port has experience and expertise in handling container traffic
  • Much of the infrastructure needed is already in place
  • Close to major shipping lanes
  • New port would create lots of jobs
  • ABP owns the site and has invested time and money on it
• Disadvantages of building the container terminal at Dibden Bay:

  • Increase in traffic on roads and railways
  • Environmentally sensitive area (mudflats and grassland)
  • Lengthy construction time affecting local people's lives
  • Pollution concerns (noise, visual, water)
  • Close to the edge of the New Forest, an area of outstanding natural beauty
• Container terminal: part of a port, road or rail

  network that handles containers
• Reclaimed land: land that has been recovered

  from water or from other uses for re-use
• Infra-structure: the main structure of an organisation. Eg. The key roads and railways of a region or country
• Confluence: place where two rivers meet
• Public enquiry: meeting at which members of the public or groups can put their points of view about proposed developments