An industrial firm is planning to create a new quayside supporting offshore renewable energy.
Able UK says it intends to submit plans to Stockton Council on behalf of Elba Securities Ltd for a port development at Port Clarence.
For now, it is seeking the authority’s opinions on proposals for the 10-hectare site on the bank of the Tees, opposite industrial development including Able Middlesbrough Port.
The company proposes to build a new quay, up to 140m long, with a “solid berth structure” and a front wall made up of steel tubes or tubular piles with sheet piles, with heavy-duty stone pavement to handle heavy lift operations with cargo of well over 1,000 tonnes. The construction at Able Clarence Port is expected to take up to 15 months.
In its statement to the council, Able UK’s engineering director Richard Cram says: “The quay development will provide a facility for a range of projects including support for the offshore renewable energy sector.”
The firm says it will also need to dredge the river to make a 35m-wide berthing pocket to give vessels access to the quay. It adds: “The terrestrial area behind the quay will be developed to create a mainly level site with a stone pavement capable of supporting tracked cranes and self-propelled mobile transporters.
“Cargo disembarked on the quay will include very heavy components, significantly in excess of 1,000T. The necessary heavy lift operations will require a particular plant spread and an appropriately designed pavement.
“It is anticipated that marine traffic will generate up to 200 vessel movements per year; 100 arrivals and 100 departures.
“Suitable office and welfare accommodation will be provided for the construction and operational workforce. It is anticipated that up to 60 workers will be on-site during construction and up to 30 workers will be present once the site is operational.”
The quay is expected to run 24 hours a day with 50m lighting towers and 3 m-high electrified fencing. Vehicles will get to the site from Huntsman Drive and a private road.
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No plans are in yet but before a planning application is prepared, the company has put in a “scoping opinion request” to Stockton Council about what information needs to be included in an environmental statement.
Able UK acknowledges parts of the plan will need a licence from the Marine Management Organisation. It says this will be dealt with in a separate application.
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