The British Ports Association has broadly welcomed the Government’s revised National Policy Statement for Ports, which has been laid before Parliament and will replace the existing 2012 statement once formally designated.
The statement provides the principal policy framework for decisions on nationally significant port infrastructure projects in England and the reserved trust port of Milford Haven. It is also an important consideration for other port development decisions, including marine licensing, harbour orders and local planning applications.
The revised statement maintains strong support for additional port capacity and retains the market-led approach to deciding when and where new infrastructure should be developed. Importantly, applicants will not be required to demonstrate a national shortage of capacity before bringing forward proposals.
It also gives greater recognition to ports’ contribution to economic growth, energy security, offshore wind, coastal shipping, resilience and the wider freight network. The statement acknowledges that future port investment will increasingly be driven by energy, industrial and non-freight activity, as well as conventional cargo growth.
The BPA provided written and oral evidence during the review and will continue to engage with government on the implementation of the revised policy.
The revised statement provides a materially stronger and more supportive policy framework for port development than the document it replaces. We particularly welcome the continued recognition that the market is best placed to judge where and when new capacity is required.
Ports will be central to the UK’s future economic, energy and infrastructure needs, and the planning system must enable them to invest and adapt. Although we remain concerned about some of the additional expectations around dredging and disappointed that ports have not been granted Critical National Priority status, the overall direction of the new statement is positive.