Bristol Docks under threat 'if Severn barrage is built'
MAYORAL candidate Jon Rogers has spoken out against plans for a £30 bil- lion barrage across the Severn Estuary.
Mr Rogers is worried it would jeopardise future growth at Avonmouth and Portbury docks which provide jobs for thousands of workers in the Bristol area.
-
Dr Jon Rogers
Dr Rogers, the Liberal Democrat candidate, has decided to speak out because the barrage scheme now seems to be back on the political agenda.
David Cameron made positive comments about the scheme during the summer and the Welsh MP Peter Hain stood down as shadow Welsh Secretary several months ago to concentrate on making the barrage happen.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013
Dr Rogers said: "The latest talk about a barrage is causing potential difficulties for jobs and investment opportunities at the port.
"A report was published in 2010 which said a barrage would cost too much for what it would gain and therefore everyone was far more relaxed about future investment in the port. But if it were to go ahead, then it could have a very negative impact on the port which I want to see protected.
"I am very strongly in favour of the port and of course, I want to see future investment to protect existing jobs and create new ones."
He said there were many other ways of harnessing tidal power to create "green" energy instead of building a barrage.
Among these are tidal fences, tidal reefs and lagoons which are much cheaper and cause much less environmental damage.
He said these would be able to generate electricity throughout a 24-hour period compared with a barrage that could only operate four or five hours a day.
Bristol is fast becoming a centre for firms which specialise in new technology to create renewable energy.
He said if the barrage was scrapped in favour of alternatives, then these firms could develop and export their expertise worldwide.
He said if a barrage was built, then it would have a dramatic effect on the tides which scour the estuary bed to create a deepwater channel for some of the world's largest ships.
If the estuary and the entrance to the docks began to silt up, then it would have a massive impact on the future of the port.
The Bristol Port Company, which was formed in 1991 when it bought the port from the city council, directly employs about 600 staff.
But scores of firms, both big and small and which rely on the port, employ a total of nearly 8,000 workers in the Bristol area.
They range from crane drivers and lorry drivers to tug operators and warehouse staff.
The ten-mile tidal barrage which would stretch from Somerset to South Wales would generate five per cent of Britain's electricity needs and claims have been made that it would create thousands of jobs.
Port spokeswoman Sue Turner said: "We are always talking to potential investors and they always have to weigh up any risks involved.
"Anything that slows down ships is a potential risk. Delay is a bad thing.
"Even talking about the barrage can damage potential investment prospects.
"There is nothing that a barrage would do to generate jobs in Bristol – it would damage job prospects."
Comments
by J12345678
Monday, October 15 2012, 11:05PM
“Will the Severn Barrage be built before the Bristol Arena? Or either of them in this decade..?”
by gary_hopkins
Monday, October 15 2012, 7:14PM
“And while the big barrage is still being paraded around we will not do anything.It should never be built and probably never will be but until the clear decision is taken to kill it all other realistic developments and our port suffers.
This is one of the biggest issues for Bristol's future and I am afraid "we must do something" is not good enough.”
by Jonnyfandango
Monday, October 15 2012, 4:25PM
“Corn on the cob teeth Rogers”
by smoosername
Monday, October 15 2012, 3:35PM
“Something needs to be done to harness this huge natural and reliable source of energy.
Unfortunately, I think we will still be discussing options in 10-20 years time though, at which point we will be buying all our gas off Russia, who aren't afraid to turn the taps off if we annoy them.”
by gary_hopkins
Monday, October 15 2012, 3:05PM
“The comment that the power must be used is absolutely right.
Offshore wind turbines are a strong possibility but further down the channel.
The first technology to be deployed could well be lagoons. Basically these are like giant concrete paddling pools that can generate electricity when the water rises into them but also crucially when the water is released later and the timing of this can be controlled to some extent. You therefore get some control over when the power is generated.
These structures would not block the flow and obstruct shipping.
Bristol port would be ideal for construction and shipping out.
It is estimated that the combination of the smaller scale technologies would produce roughly 80% of the power of a barrage but the construction costs are massively less so we get a quicker return on capital.You can mix these other technologies but once you have a barrage everything else is ruled out.
It would certyainly be welcome if all the other candidates rapidly provided support as business is being damaged by the uncertainty.”
by swrural
Monday, October 15 2012, 2:08PM
“Dr Jon Rogers is spot on with his considered analysis. The first contributor is just against his politics. He always appears here to do his usual parochial thing . Hopefully Dr Rogers' views are echoed by the other candidates, so that there is no division on this vital issue for the whole of Bristol.”
by swrural
Monday, October 15 2012, 2:06PM
“Dr Jon Rogers is spot on with his considered analysis. The first contributor is just against his politics. he always appears to do their usual thing. Hopefully Dr Rogers' views are echoed by the other candidates, so that there is no division on this vital issue for Bristol.”
by GoveKnows
Monday, October 15 2012, 2:05PM
“I know you have to support your chums Gary but seriously...I thought you were smarter than that.”
by DazzyBoy
Monday, October 15 2012, 1:47PM
“Avonmouth needs to made into a deep sea port to take bigger ships, but that can't happen if a concrete barrage is built across the channel, even if if a gap was left for ships to pass through. Having said that I still think the power of the second largest tidal range in the world needs to be harnessed to create power. I'm not a scientist but i would have thought that dual purpose columns with turbines at the bottom for catching the tide and wind turbines at the top for wind power generation would be a good a good idea.”
by gary_hopkins
Monday, October 15 2012, 11:30AM
“Bristol port is a very efficient operation and the present geographical advantages that it has in being closer to many cities than other British ports and having better transport connections means that huge investment in expansion should be possible now despite difficult economic conditions.
Hain's madcap scheme and Cameron giving it a serious hearing are damaging prospects NOW.
In addition as Jon says we have the possibility of actually getting on with real investment in tidal generation now being damaged. We have the firms that are moving forward now like Rolls Royce and Siemens situated in Bristol with schemes actually in the water generating electricity in Scotland. They could be doing it here.
With the right sort of technology going forward we would have very significant extra jobs in these firms and in the port rather than them being hampered.
For those that do not seem to realise Avonmouth is in Bristol and huge numbers of Bristolians actually work now or could be working in dependent businesses.”