London Gateway

Infobox UK place
official_name= London Gateway
unitary_england= Thurrock
lieutenancy_england= Essex
region= East of England
country= England
latitude= 51.5052
longitude= 0.4902
constituency_westminster= Basildon
post_town= STANFORD-LE-HOPE
postcode_area= SS
postcode_district= SS17
dial_code= 01375
os_grid_reference= TQ728815

London Gateway will be a major new deepwater port located on the north bank of the River Thames in Thurrock, Essex, and will be able to handle the biggest container ships in the world. In addition to the new port, the development will include one of Europe’s largest logistics parks, providing access to London, the South East and the rest of the UK. The development will dramatically increase the capabilities of the Port of London in handling modern container shipping.

The construction of London Gateway will begin in late 2008 and the port is scheduled to be operational by early 2011. The distribution park will open in 2009 and the first container berths are set to open in late 2010.

The development of London Gateway is being undertaken by DP World, one of the largest marine terminal operators in the world.

History

London Gateway is located on the former Shell Haven site in Thurrock in Essex. The convert|1800|acre|km2|sing=on site is a former oil refinery, which closed in 1999. However, the site has been used as a port since the 16th Century.

DP World received Government approval in May 2007 for the development of London Gateway. The proposals were also identified by Gordon Brown as one of the four economic hubs essential for the regeneration of the Thames Gateway [http://www.thamesgatewayforum.co.uk/files/pdfbrown.pdf Gordon Brown’s speech on the economic hubs in the Thames Gateway ] .

In May 2008, the Department for Transport issued a ‘Harbour Empowerment Order’ for London Gateway, which provided official and statutory powers for the new port and established London Gateway as a legally recognised authority [http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/shippingports/ports/dl/decletlongatewayharbour?page=1 Press release by the Department for Transport] . DP World is now set to invest over £1.5bn to develop the project over the next 10 to 15 years.

Port capacity

London Gateway port will include a 2,300 metre long container quay, with a fully developed capacity of 3.5 million TEU (standard container units) a year [http://www.portoflondon.co.uk/pdfs/Port_News_page_2.pdf Statistics from the Port of London] . The port will be located on the major shipping lanes serving north west Europe, and will increase national deep-sea port capacity for the UK, as identified as necessary by the Government [http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/shippingports/ports/portspolicyreview/portspolicyreviewinterimreport Report from the Department for Transport] .

Distribution Park

The distribution park at London Gateway will cover a development area of 300 hectares (700 acres). It will accommodate buildings in excess of one million sq ft, and offer linkages to local road and rail networks with access across the UK, including London. Outline planning permission has been granted for a total of convert|9500000|sqft|m2|abbr=on.

DP World has stated that high quality architecture, sustainability, and high levels of security and management will be key features of the park and will create an attractive environment for occupiers [http://www.ameinfo.com/121960.html News article from AME Info] .

Investment

DP World is planning to invest over £1.5bn to develop the project over a 10-15 year development period. It predicts that London Gateway will deliver about 12,000 new jobs, benefit the local and regional economy, and assist the Government’s Thames Gateway regeneration initiative.

Police force

The final, 2008 government order giving permission for the port grants the London Gateway port the right to apply to a justice of the peace for the appointment of constables who would form a police force for the port. This would create a similar small, specialised force as found at Tilbury (the Port of Tilbury Police).

External links

* [http://www.dpworld.com DP World]
* [http://www.portoflondon.co.uk/ Port of London]
** [http://www.pla.co.uk/siteimages/port%20promotion/London%20Gateway(full).jpgLarge rendering of the completed development]
* [http://www.dft.gov.uk/ Department for Transport]

References