New London port Tilbury2 is one step closer to planning success

London’s major port, Port of Tilbury, has submitted an application for a development consent order (DCO) to the planning inspectorate to build a new terminal adjacent to the current port in Thurrock.

The proposed new port, to be known as Tilbury2, will be built on a 152-acre site - part of the former Tilbury Power Station.

Tilbury2 is central to the Port of Tilbury’s £1bn investment programme, 2012-20. This investment also includes the UK’s largest warehouse at the port’s second extension site - the 70-acre London Distribution Park - for Amazon UK, which began operating in late 2017.

Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP, international trade secretary, said: “Ports play a key role in the long term growth of the UK economy, with Tilbury being a great example of an ambitious, successful operation which is growing to deliver the capacity businesses need to export products from the UK across the world.

“As an international economic department, we will continue to champion the growth of our maritime sector, and we would certainly encourage local businesses to make the most of the fantastic connections Tilbury has to offer.”

Tilbury has doubled the size of its business and is set to triple the direct employment (from 3,500 to 12,000 jobs) over the next 10 to 15 years.

Expansion is needed to cope with rising demand for construction materials and aggregates from the UK’s building sector, imported and exported cars, as well as an increase in ferry traffic, which carries consumer goods, perishables and steel between Europe and the UK.

It is envisaged that Tilbury2 will be operational in Q2 2020, acting as a satellite of the main port. It will comprise of a ferry terminal for importing and exporting containers and trailers, as well as acting as a storage area, and offering a national rail and road connection for the site.

Charles Hammond, chief executive of Forth Ports Group, discussed that “as London and the South East grows, Tilbury grows.”

He concluded: “Tilbury2 will deliver needed port capacity to support businesses importing and exporting to-and-from Europe and across the globe at a crucial time for the UK.

“Tilbury2 is a significant part of port’s £1bn investment strategy as we look to provide the next generation of logistics facilities to equip Britain to take advantage of new business opportunities and cement existing trading relationships.”