PLANS APPROVED TO CREATE MAJOR NEW IMPORT CENTRE AT TEESPORT

PD Ports (PDP) today announced that Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council has approved plans to create a major new import centre at Teesport on the North East coast. The new 1.2 million square foot (110,562 sq.mts.) import centre will be located on 68 acres of PDP’s land at Teesport. This centre will create more than 800 new direct jobs over the next two years and also new jobs among suppliers and logistics companies serving the centre.

The plans for the import centre include car parking spaces for 450 staff as well as lorry parking spaces for 350 vehicles. The complex will be

built on brownfield land that is currently undeveloped within PDP’s 700 acre Tees Dock estate. This signifies another major investment at Teesport and will create several hundred construction jobs during the two year build programme.

“We are delighted to receive approval by Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council of our plans for another major import centre at Tees Dock. This is another very important day for us and the whole region,” commented David Robinson, Group Chief Executive Officer of PD Ports. “This approval now positions Teesport as a major UK portcentric logistics hub. Our concept of portcentric logistics is gathering further momentum as UK supply chains seek further efficiency gains and are pressed to becoming greener.

“This latest approval comes shortly after the recent decision from the Department for Transport (DfT) approving the final planning stage known as a Harbour Revision Order for the Northern Gateway deep sea container terminal (NGCT) at Tees Dock. The cargoes passing through the import centre will go some considerable way to providing volume for the NGCT project. “We hope that the first part of the new import centre will be operational by summer 2009,” concluded Robinson.