Hi DHB
Before I look at the advertised consultation on your latest 'master plan' I would be interested in looking at the last one.
See here :-
https://www.porttechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/PT37-12.pdf
I'd be grateful for a link to the report which I presume is available on-line?
Thanks
Haddock (Capt retired)
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Good morning Captain,
Apologies for the delay in response, we truly appreciate your interest in the Port of Dover 2050 Project. Your insights and ideas are invaluable to us, and we eagerly await your contributions through our Engagement Hub. There, you'll find ample resources about the project's objectives and significance.
In essence, our last master plan for the Port was crafted two decades ago, culminating in the establishment of the buffer zone and the Dover Western Docks Revival. However, recent developments such as the pandemic, shifting weather patterns, evolving traffic dynamics, and Brexit have underscored the urgent need for a resilient and forward-looking port infrastructure. Thus, the inception of the Port of Dover 2050 initiative.
We'll also be available for face-to-face discussions at St James’ Retail Park on the 14th and 16th, as well as the Waterfront on the 16th. The Marina Office also has an area for those who cannot make these dates to leave their feedback.
Kind regards,
DHB
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Hi DHB,
Thanks for your reply.
My initial question was:-
Before I look at the advertised consultation on your latest 'master plan' I would be interested in looking at the last one.
See here :-
https://www.porttechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/PT37-12.pdf
I'd be grateful for a link to the report which I presume is available on-line?
Which you do not seem to have addressed.
Is the previous Master Plan accessible?
Thanks
Haddock
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Good afternoon Captain,
I hope this email finds you well.
Unfortunately, the document you referred to is no longer publicly available. The previous masterplan was developed in a different era, predating significant events such as the financial crash, Brexit, and the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, the context and dynamics surrounding the port have undergone substantial changes.
While we appreciate your interest in comparing the previous masterplan with our current efforts, we believe it would be unproductive to draw direct comparisons due to the vastly different contexts in which these plans were developed.
Nonetheless, your input and insights on the current ideas are welcome as we shape the future of the Port of Dover. We encourage you to continue engaging with us as we work towards a sustainable and prosperous future for the port and its surrounding communities.
Thank you once again for your interest and support. Should you have any further questions or would like to contribute in any way, please do not hesitate to reach out.
DHB
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Hi DHB,
I was somewhat disappointed to hear that the last 30 year Master Plan was not publicly available.
Whilst appreciating that 'Events, dear boy, events' (Quote Harold Macmillan) challenge all forward planning I nevertheless find at worthwhile when researching organisations to note how previous plans have panned out (i.e. What's been did and what's been hid! ) in the past before swallowing the KoolAid of rather highly overpaid 'consultants' with their PowerPoint presentations and glossy brochures.
Fortunately I have been able to source both the 30 Year Master Plan Strategy AND the 2006 Economic Impact Assessment. (I have appended both of these to this e-mail).
In passing I note that a 2nd Port Terminal was considered essential in the 2005 Masterplan Zoning Report (Halcrow).
T2 was of course NOT delivered. (Indeed, I seem to recall that DWDR was only granted, under the second HRO, as a temporary stage in the development of Terminal 2! )
Indeed DWDR has, so far, been a complete failure in delivering what was originally promised.
There was talk also of an out of town “Buffer Zone” traffic management scheme. Unfortunately DHB's previous insistence that the A20 approached the town through an AONB rather than around the 'back' of the town through low grade agricultural land put the kiboch on that, meaning the processing of customs paperwork relating to international freight is at at Ashford, continued Operation Brock, Stack and Spock on the A20 - "Stardate 5928.5 and still stuck in the queue" - and autumnal chaos at Dover Eastern Docks as the PAF attempt to take fingerprints of passengers and match them to passports and biometric information stored therein!
(I and others attended the public enquiry and spoke against the present route but there you go. We are where we are with no hope of a buffer zone, warehousing, customs freight clearance this side of Folkestone and the sea-front cut off from the town. Thanks DHB.)
( Tony Smith's evidence to @LordsJHACom in electronic travel authorities and digital borders, @UKParliament today. is a bit 'techie' but a good introduction to the system and the future rather than the usual ill informed comments.https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/e8e70e10-499e-4195-9225-780dc5fbfaa3 11.02 onwards is interesting looking forward to October in Dover! 'Clunky' is indeed the word!)
Finally (for now) I note that 5.3.2 of the Economic Assessment report in discussing the Marina notes that Dover Marina had nearly
300 berth holders and counted 9000 visitor nights in 2005. Assuming an average spend per £50 per head per night, this equates to
an expenditure of £0.5 million per annum.
I note also that amongst your suggested Social Outcomes in your 2050 Public Engagement are to ' Ensure the local community benefits from the Port as a ‘good neighbour.
One wonders how giving the Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club, one of the oldest yacht clubs in England (
https://rcpyc.org.uk/history/ ) notice to vacate the premises they have been in since they were bombed out in WW2 ties in with such worthy objectives?
It doesn't sound very good does it in terms of local history/heritage or encouraging local and visiting yachtsmen whose presence not only add to the ambiance of the Marina and sea-front but to the local economy.?
Perhaps you might reconsider? I would hate you to to get into another unnecessary PR disaster like that over the Goodwin Sands Dredging.
Best wishes
Haddock 18/03
"The world is still a weird place, despite my efforts to make clear and perfect sense of it".
Dr. Hunter S Thompson
