ABP has 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 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).
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.
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.