The Port is acutely aware of the pressure such volumes of UK and European trade place on a road network shared with the local community, particularly when combined with challenging operational factors such as the recent fire at the Channel Tunnel or adverse weather.  As such, much work has been going on in terms of providing additional resource to proactively manage the day to day traffic issues.

The Port is accelerating work to deliver an additional 4km of freight vehicle holding space within the Port through the Traffic Management Improvement project.  Eurotunnel is also working on creating additional freight lanes to hold a further 290 freight vehicles.

Exciting times are ahead for Dover through the Port’s key Dover Western Docks Revival project and other Dover regeneration projects, such as the St James development (which also requires the removal of Burlington House), being led by Dover District Council (DDC). 

With such a variety of major projects underway or on the horizon, it is important that the impact of traffic flows from these and other developments are fully understood in order that Dover receives the right long term traffic solution.

Factoring in the further impact of Government imposed exit checks for every passenger leaving the UK through international gateways such as the Port of Dover from 1 April 2015, the Port and DDC have recently been working hard to review such impacts on the A20 in Dover over the coming months and particularly the peak summer period.

Such work has led to serious consideration about the appropriateness of commencing the A20 junction improvement works in April 2015 as previously planned.

As a result, both partners have today agreed to postpone the junction improvements so that further traffic assessment work can be carried out to ensure that the regeneration of Dover is supported by the best traffic solution on the A20.

Tim Waggott, Chief Executive, Port of Dover, says:

“We are delighted that Dover District Council has accepted our proposal that the commencement of A20 Junction Works is postponed whilst we review the wider needs case for our shared vision for Dover.”

Cllr Paul Watkins, Leader of Dover District Council, says:

“We are pleased to see all agencies working together to achieve solutions in response to the current pressures on the road network.  This matter was raised again today during Prime Minister’s Questions.  Any solutions need to be sustainable to both improve management of traffic to and from the Port, and to meet the day-to-day needs of town traffic.  Local businesses, residents and visitors need to be assured that these matters are addressed once and for all.  To this end, we have agreed the A20 junction works should be postponed until the autumn and the outcome of the review ordered by the Roads Minister, and further assessments are carried out.”

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Issued by Corporate Affairs on 01304 240400 (ext. 4410 from 8.30 – 17.00)

Focused on skills, jobs and the community, the Port recently gifted the Fund £250,000 to launch it and will contribute 1% of pre-tax profits each year to support it.

The Port of Dover Community Fund will be managed by Kent Community Foundation, a leading Kent charity with over 13 years’ experience of delivering effective grant-making programmes on behalf of companies, individuals and foundations. Kent Community Foundation has distributed over £20 million in grants and specialises in community grant-making reaching very local causes working at the grassroots.  The management cost associated with the administration of the Port of Dover Community Fund is being covered by the Port in addition to its existing financial contribution to the Fund.

Carol Lynch, Chief Executive of Kent Community Foundation, says:

“Kent Community Foundation is delighted to be setting up this important new Fund for Dover, thanks to the Port of Dover’s significant commitment to the local community. We look forward to working with the advisory panel to encourage local groups to make the most of this great source of local support and bring lasting benefit to the Dover community.”

The current funding round is open until 31st March 2015, following which the Port of Dover Community Fund Panel, a local advisory panel, will assess the applications.  The majority of successful applications are likely to receive grants of between £2,000 and £10,000.

Tim Waggott, Chief Executive, Port of Dover, says:

“What a fantastic way to start 2015!  I am extremely grateful to the Kent Community Foundation for taking on the independent management of the Fund and also to the advisory panel, led by the Right Reverend Trevor Willmott, Bishop of Dover, for its commitment to ensuring that the Fund is used to deliver the greatest benefit for our community.  I therefore encourage local groups and organisations to start applying in order to make the positive difference the Fund has been set up to create.”

Under the chairmanship of the Bishop of Dover, the advisory panel consists of a number of local people including Ronnie Philpott, Roger Knight, Emma Liddiard and Jack Williams [see Notes to Editors for biographical details].

The Right Reverend Trevor Willmott says:

“The Port of Dover Community Fund can bring hope to young people and to the community of Dover.  I and the rest of the Panel trust that the community will make full use of this fund.  It is our job to ensure that it supports those projects that can make a real, positive and lasting difference to people’s lives.”

To apply for funding from the Port of Dover Community Fund, please visit: http://www.kentcf.org.uk/apply/funding-round/#Port of Dover

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Issued by Corporate Affairs on 01304 240400 (ext. 4410 from 8.30 – 17.00)

Notes to Editors

Port of Dover Community Fund

The Port of Dover Community Fund is focused on supporting projects and activities in the following areas:

Skills and Jobs – projects that provide opportunities to develop skills, support people on the pathway into employment and assist job creation, with a particular focus on young people.

Community – activities that enrich the social, cultural and environmental life of local communities, enhancing Dover as an attractive and welcoming place to live, work and visit.

All projects need to show how they will benefit the Dover community and will be evaluated in terms of the impact they can demonstrate they are likely to have.  Priority will be given to projects that can explain how they will make a sustainable difference.  Applicants are encouraged to set out any match funding they have raised or plan to raise.

Geographical reach: Dover and its immediate environs.

Applications from individuals will not be considered.

Port of Dover Community Fund Panel

• The Right Reverend Trevor Willmott (Panel Chairman)

Bishop Trevor has oversight for the Canterbury Diocese, which includes Dover.  His previous appointments include as Bishop of Basingstoke, a position he held for seven years, during which he took the lead in the areas of social reform, criminal justice and rural affairs, as well as taking particular pastoral responsibility for churches in the North of the Diocese of Winchester.  He was a founding Trustee of the social welfare charity Hampshire Community Foundation and a founding Trustee of Emmaus Hampshire – a charity that cares for the homeless.

Bishop Trevor has many national church responsibilities and was elected to the Upper House of the Convocation in the Province of Canterbury in 2005 and is a member of the Business Committee of the Church of England’s General Synod.

• Ronnie Philpott

Ronnie was born and bred in the Tower Hamlets area of Dover and still lives there today. She served two terms of office as Town Mayor of Dover. She remains a town councillor for Tower Hamlets Ward and was a part of the team to set up the Tower Hamlets Forum.

• Roger Knight

Roger has lived all his life in Dover and is a member of The Dover Society.  He is Chair of Governors at Whitfield Primary School and chairs the junior section of Dover Athletic FC. Last Year, he organised the very successful Dover Music Festival and is managing director of his own printing/design business at Whitfield.

• Emma Liddiard

Emma has been in the radio industry since 1996 and was appointed Managing Director of Heart Radio in 2010. She lives near Dover and never misses an opportunity to promote the area. She is the Chairman for the Kent Institute of Directors and is on the Board of Directors for The Dreamland Trust.

• Jack Williams

Jack is a Law graduate from Cambridge and Oxford and is currently a College Lecturer at Oxford. He attended Dover Grammar School for Boys and maintains a close connection with Dover where he was brought up. Having previously worked at St Edmund’s school and on various educational projects with local primary and secondary schools, Jack, at 23, is well placed to represent the voice of young citizens in the area.

Tim Waggott, Chief Executive of the Port of Dover said:

“Our immediate thoughts are with those who are directly affected by this decision. The ruling comes at a time when Europe’s busiest ferry port has just achieved record freight volumes and so our priority is to ensure that our customers continue to be provided with a great level of service and choice. We will also work tirelessly on delivering our ongoing major investment plans to provide extra capacity and significant new job opportunities for local people.

We will continue to consult regularly with all of our major ferry customers, and community groups, in the days and weeks ahead as we plan our way forward to future success.“

ENDS

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It will forever embed the power for the Board to appoint two community directors, which in turn will strengthen the links between the Port and its community as envisaged in the Ministerial statement made in April 2014.  These directors will bring special knowledge or experience of the position of the Port within the local community and local economy.

The HRO also puts the Port’s consultative mechanisms on a statutory basis and, in line with the Companies Act 2006, provides for meetings to take place by electronic means.

The Port is a hugely important part of the local economy, ranking first as the largest ferry port in the EU. The powers sought are considered necessary to enable Dover Harbour Board to work with the community at the beginning of what will be a significant period of regeneration for the Port and its town.

Currently the Board consists of a chairman and 4 other members appointed by the Secretary of State, the chief executive officer and a further executive officer with the Board having discretion to appoint a further member. The HRO would retain the power of the Secretary of State to appoint the chairman with the other members of the Board (“directors”) being appointed by the Board.

On 9 April 2014 the Shipping and Ports Minister, Stephen Hammond MP said:

“I believe Dover needs an enduring and meaningful consultative relationship with its port. This can be achieved by a legal commitment to consult interested parties, as has been done successfully at other major trust ports. The port and community forum and port user group are in their early days but these groups, among others which have been seen to work well at major trust ports, could be vehicles for delivering this legal commitment.

But we need to do more to deliver a significant and enduring relationship between town and port.

So as well as the legal commitment I have agreed with the board that an important form of permanent community involvement is seats in the boardroom.

Therefore additional, community non-executive directors should be appointed to the board, as has been done at other successful trust ports.

The future board will consist of the chairman, existing non-executive specialist directors, executive directors, and now these community non-executive directors.”

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Notes in Editors

• For further information and to refer to the official documentation, please visit http://www.doverport.co.uk/about/the-board/ ‘Further Modernising Powers Being Sought’.

Issued by Port of Dover on 01304 240400 (Ext 4410 from 8.30 – 17.00)