Deep freeze for deep-water container dock

By The Bristol Post  |  Posted: October 30, 2013

By Rupert Janisch & Gavin Thompson

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  An illustration of the Avonmouth deep-sea container terminal
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  An illustration of the Avonmouth deep-sea container terminal

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ANEW deep-water container dock for Bristol is on hold for at least five years. The £600 million dock already has planning consent but has been delayed while the global economy has dipped.

Bristol Port Company boss Simon Bird has told the Bristol Post the project is on hold for at least five years.

He said the demand is not there at the moment – and with the opening of the London Gateway deep-sea container terminal next month, now is not the time to invest heavily in such a project.

Mr Bird said: "If I was chief executive of a big container port that is going to be affected by London Gateway then I would be concerned.

"It will not affect what we are doing over here and we are certainly not going to be spending any money on that (the deep-sea dock) while that capacity is not required."

Supporters of the Severn Barrage project might raise their eyebrows at the comments, as the potential impact on the deep-water dock plans were one of the reasons some heavyweights opposed the most recent incarnation of the scheme to harness energy from the Severn Estuary's tidal range.

But Mr Bird insisted the project will go ahead – when the time is right.

He said: "The new terminal will play a role in the future of this business, I have no doubt about that."

Tim Davies, head of the Bristol office of logistical specialist Colliers International, said: "This is particularly disappointing as its development would provide the opportunity for Avonmouth to become a major player in the global sea-freight business, especially as there are significant tracts of land surrounding the port which are capable of further development – all of which benefit from good motorway and rail connections to every part of the UK.

"As a region we already have significant infrastructure in place in terms of our road and rail network.

"And while significant port facilities are already available, the development of the deep-sea container facility would boost massively the economy of the region."

But he said the Avonmouth area is on the up, regardless, with the return of speculative development for warehouses and distribution.

The area has already attracted big supermarkets including Tesco, The Co-operative and Morrisons.

And work has recently been completed on the new 600,000 sq ft-plus chill and frozen facility for supermarket Asda.

Mr Bird was keen to stress the port's robust health as a strong performer in the region's economy.

The port company employs 550 people, having recently taken on another 50.

And another 6,500 will be working at the site on any given day.

The recent announcement that new nuclear reactors are to be built at Hinkley Point will boost business.

Mr Bird said: "We expect to play an important role in that.

"There is also the RWE Atlantic Array offshore wind farm, off the coast of Devon, and we will expect to play a large part in that too.

"We have a number of planned expansions and a lot is determined by the energy sector, which could affect our major investments."

Bristol Port Company was privatised in 1991 and remains a privately-owned, independent business. More than £450 million has been invested in the port since privatisation to create one of the world's most productive and advanced ports.