My Department is announcing today that it is approving a proposal for ports development in the south-east—following a public inquiry in 2004—for the new Bathside Bay Container Terminal at Harwich. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is today issuing a parallel letter in respect of the planning applications which, together with the consents I have been asked to give, would allow the development to proceed. We believe that this scheme will provide much needed container capacity in the coming years.Ports play a vital role in supporting the national economy. The Government are committed to maintaining and enhancing that role through our broad approach to ports policy and to the decisions we take on individual ports applications.We are committed to sustainable distribution and this new project would play a large part in securing that aim. We understand at the same time that the new terminal will have a significant impact on the environment. This is why we have imposed controls on the development to provide new road and rail infrastructure so that congestion does not increase, to provide compensatory habitats for wildlife displaced by the scheme, and to reduce other environmental impacts such as noise, pollution and the visual impact.

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