Ramsgate Port and Royal Harbour Master Plan 2011 Contents Page Introduction 3 The Existing Port and Harbour 4 Policy Context 9 Master Plan Proposals 13 Detailed Development Proposals 19 The Eastern End of the Royal Harbour Introduction The Port Master plan is a key document establishing the future direction for the Port, not just the immediate future, but for a 20-30 year horizon. One of the objectives of the Master Plan is to make best use of the land at the Port and to give greater certainty to tenants, port operators and other stakeholders about the future. The Master plan is being developed in accordance with Department for Transport Port Master Plan Guidance (Dec 2008) which identified that the main purpose of the plans were to: • Clarify the port’s own strategic planning for the medium and long term; • Assist regional and local planning bodies, and transport network providers, in preparing and revising their own development strategies; and • Inform port users, employees and local communities as to how they can expect to see the port develop over the coming years. Its aims comply with the National Policy Statement on ports, published in draft in 2009 for public consultation. The NPS aims to: • Encourage sustainable port development to cater for long term forecast growth in imports and exports by sea, with a competitive and efficient port industry; • Enable the port industry to make informed judgements about when and where new development might take place; and • Ensure all proposed developments satisfy the legal, environmental and social constraints and objectives. Also relevant is the Marine and Coastal Access Act which received Royal Assent on 12 November 2009, and created a framework for managing the pressures on the seas, strengthening marine conservation, and seeking to open access for members of the public to the coast. The Master Plan acknowledges that Port development activities do not stand still. It therefore allows for initiatives and opportunities that emerge during preparation to be taken into account. In any planning process uncertainty increases over time, however, a plan that involves significant investment in infrastructure and changes in land use and can influence other regional and local planning policies must have a significant time horizon. The Port Master Plan has an initial 15 year time horizon to ensure compatibility with emerging Planning and Corporate Plan policy, but in many aspects has a longer term horizon of 20-30 years. The Port Master Plan considers the existing port operational characteristics, future opportunities for port related growth, other development opportunities and a preferred strategy which looks to the immediate future and longer term aspirations for ensuring the Port maintains and builds on its role as an important port on the south-east coast. A Consultation Strategy is to be prepared at the outset of the study. It will identify a number of phases of consultation 1) Initial consultations to elicit information 2) Opinions on issues, a second round to discuss the analysis work and emerging proposals, 3) Presentation of draft proposals to key stakeholders and a public consultation The Existing Port and Harbour Location and Context The Port of Ramsgate is situated in north east Kent with access to the North Sea and English Channel. The port has a dedicated access road and is approximately 60 minutes from the M25 via the A299 and M2. Kent International Airport is in close proximity and London Heathrow and London Gatwick are within 2 hours drive. High speed passenger rail services started in 2009, cutting the journey time from Ramsgate to London to 76 minutes. Access will be further improved following completion of the new East Kent Access Road in 2012. Fig 1 The Commercial Port Of the 26 municipal ports in England and Wales, Ramsgate is second in turnover to Portsmouth, it is owned and operated by Thanet District Council. The port provides a niche UK port facility, capable of handling freight and passenger traffic. I t provides the only passenger ferry service between the Channel ports and Ostend, Belgium, operated by Trans-Europa. Freight services have been operated by Trans-Europa between the two ports since 1998. Set on approximately 13 hectares (32 acres) of dedicated port land, all in Thanet Council ownership, the port has three Ro-Ro bridges, capable of accommodating conventional Ro-Ro fast ferry freight services. Full passenger and freight vessel facilities allow the Port to operate and service the three berths simultaneously giving a potential capacity of up to 500,000 freight units and five million passengers each year. The Port can accommodate vessels of up to 160 metres in length with 6.5 metres draft with no tidal restrictions and has the capacity to handle multi-decked vessels, stern and quarter ramps. It takes an average of 20 minutes from berth to clearing a buoyed channel and access is possible at all states of the tide and in most weather conditions. The Port operates an aggregate import facility, in partnership with Brett Aggregates, which can accommodate vessels of up to 60 metres in length, carrying 1,200 tonnes of cargo. Type one, crushed slag and crushed limestone is imported for use for road and building bases and to serve a recently opened concrete batching plant. There is sufficient available land and deep water to allow future diversification and the availability of hard standing and berthing slots. Fig 2: The Port and adjacent Commercial Area Port Parameters Maximum vessel length Berth 1 Ro-Ro 140 metres Berths 2 and 3 Ro-Ro 180 metres Potential to handle up to 300,000 RoRo freight units per annum, 3,500,000 passengers per annum and in excess of 50,000 tonnes of aggregate per annum. 3 weighbridges depth of water at IAT Main channel 7.5 metres - turning circle 6.2 metres compulsory pilotage for vessels over 80 metres in length or carrying hazardous cargo or passengers. Master or Mate may obtain Pilotage Exemption Certificate by minimum of 6 or 12 passengers 50% during darkness and passing oral examination VTS manned 24 hours per day, berth to cleared buoyed channel 1.2 miles Tugs - trailers - Maafi's - forklifts - reach trucks Dedicated warehousing for transhipment and storage Bonded warehouse Customs clearance available 24/7 Onsite agency The port also includes stevedore facilities and offices and border control and special branch accommodation The Commercial Area In addition to the commercial port there is a commercial area of approximately 4 hectares which includes the maintenance premises of two wind farm operators, Vattenfall, who operate the Thanet Offshore Wind farm and London Array, about to commence construction. Seimens are locating a turbine gearbox maintenance operation at the port. The commercial area also includes a storage area for the Ramsgate fishing fleet and a boat park for the surface repair and maintenance of fixed keel vessels in the Royal Harbour. The area also includes a boat park for use for vessel maintenance and repair, with accommodation for up to 80 boats. The Royal Harbour The Royal Harbour includes a 700 berth marina with the following facilities; • Fuel barge • Water, electricity, wifi • Amenity block with showers, toilets and laundry facilities • Permanent and visitor berths • 24 hour access to outer marina • Security manning and CCTV surveillance • 40 tonne boat hoist • Repair facilities • Facilities for local fishing fleet • Hard quay with a maximum vessel length of 70 metres • 4 Slipways of varying lengths capable taking vessels of varying beams and displacement There is a lifeboat station within the harbour on the crosswall, serving both an inshore and offshore lifeboat The Royal Harbour Area is grade 2 listed and includes 4 historic slipways, one of which is listed in its own right and is in use for maintenance of larger vessels. The Clock House is listed grade 2* and is proposed for use as a museum. Archways to the south of the inner Harbour provide additional commercial and industrial space, European funding has been obtained to improve the quality of the accommodation. Adjacent to the archways are the harbour office, sailors church and smack boys home and Jacobs Ladder steps down from the Westcliff. These buildings are important to the character of the historic harbour. A building at the end of the Harbour Arm has previously been occupied as a restaurant and retains the potential for commercial uses. Fig 3 Present Use Port The present port through-put according to the DfT Transport Statistic bulletin is: Port Traffic, million tonnes Inwards Outwards Total 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 Ramsgate 1.28 1.01 0.69 0.58 1.97 1.59 Unitised traffic in 1000 tonnes Ramsgate 99 80 91 69 190 149 (Unitised traffic includes all roll-on/roll-off units whether carrying freight or not (road goods vehicles, unaccompanied trailers, shipborne port to port trailers, passenger vehicles, trade vehicles and other ro-ro units) and lift-on/lift-off containers.) Types of traffic, dry bulk 20,000 tonnes, RORO 1.57 million tonnes (Source, DFT transport stats bulletin) Recorded trends of port activity confirm the following levels of use over the past 2 years: • A throughput of approximately 8-10,000 freight units/month. • Passenger vehicle movements of between 1000 and 3000 vehicles/month in 2009, increasing to between 2,000 and 5,000 vehicles per month in 2010. Higher flows are during April, July and August. • Between 160 and 190 ferry berths/month. • Aggregate tonnage increasing from 13,000 tonnes in 2009 to 20,000 tonnes in the first 8 months of 2010. • The principal port income is from Tran-Europa Ferries supplemented by income streams from wind farm vessels, boat park income and property rentals.