.gif)
ABP
has today announced that it is seeking a Judicial Review (JR) of the Secretary
of State for Transport’s decision to grant a Development Consent Order
(DCO) in respect of the proposed Able Marine Energy Park (AMEP) on the
South Bank of the Humber at Killingholme.
The site is immediately adjacent
to the Port of Immingham, the nation’s largest port. ABP supports 14,000
local jobs and plays a critical role in the nation’s energy infrastructure.
Regrettably, the DCO allows
for the compulsory purchase of the Port of Immingham’s last remaining
undeveloped land with access to deep water. ABP wishes to use the site,
known as the Triangle site, to develop, in partnership with its customers,
a major fuel product import facility, the Immingham Western Deepwater Jetty
(IWDJ).
ABP regards the process by which
the DCO was granted as being seriously flawed. ABP has been willing to
set aside its concerns over the consent process in the interests of reaching
a compromise that would allow both the AMEP and our own IWDJ development
to proceed.
Able never properly engaged
in the process of seeking a compromise preferring instead to adopt an “all
or nothing” approach. The failure of the Joint Committee of both Houses
of Parliament to consider both sides of the argument dealt another blow
to the prospects of a compromise that would have best served the interests
of the region.
During the planning process,
Able publicly acknowledged that the AMEP development is far bigger than
isnecessary to handle the market for offshore wind manufacturing that was
hoped for at the time.
Since then, while the UK as
a whole has been successful in attracting key elements of the offshore
wind supply chain, the anticipated demand for AMEP has failed to materialise.
In the time that Able has failed
to engage in a compromise, ABP and its partners have invested and committed
to invest nearly £500 million in new facilities at its Humber ports, which
will result in over 1000 new jobs for the region. ABP’s own workforce
at the port is growing at a rate of 10 per cent per annum providing high
quality, well paid, skilled jobs.
However, Immingham cannot maintain
this level of growth without the ability to develop additional deep water
cargo handling facilities. As well as enabling the IWDJ to proceed, the
Triangle site and its waterfront also enable Immingham to re-configure
existing facilities to respond to other changes in customer demand and
further accommodate future growth.
Given the fundamental importance
of the Triangle site to the Port of Immingham, and Able’s unwillingness
to engage in a compromise, ABP has concluded that it has no alternative
but to seek a Judicial Review of the Secretary of State’s decision to
approve the seizure of ABP’s land and associated waterfront. ABP’s decision
has been taken after carefully weighing up the interests of the port, our
customers and those who rely on the port for their livelihoods, both directly
and indirectly.
Able’s case for seizing ABP’s
land and associated waterfront has always been weak and has only become
weaker with the passage of time. ABP remains willing to work with Able
and other stakeholders to find a solution that allows both AMEP and IWDJ
to co-exist, avoids damage to the interests of the Port of Immingham and
promotes the prospects for the Humber region which ABP is proud to be part
of.
