The Transport Committee will question the new Minister for Maritime, Keir Mather MP, as it concludes it inquiry into the Government’s draft revised National Policy Statement for Ports (NPSP).

The NPSP contains planning regulations that the Transport Secretary will use to determine nationally significant infrastructure projects at ports. The draft revised NPSP was published in June. The current iteration has been in place since 2012.

The UK ports sector is the second largest in Europe, processing over 95% of all UK imports by volume and 75% by value, as well as over 60 million international and domestic passenger journeys annually. The industry directly employs approximately 118,000 people.

MPs will be interested to hear how the updated regulations could enable the Government to take into account the need for upgrades to capacity at ports. Considerations about capacity will include concerns that ships are becoming larger, according to the UK Major Ports Group, and well as forecasts that suggest demand for freight capacity in the UK could rise by 8% by 2050.

However, there are also concerns that forecasts of freight traffic could relied upon too much under the new NPSP, which could discourage investment in green technologies to help the sector decarbonise.

The Committee will question witnesses on how the updated NPSP could help the sector achieve net zero, which will require provisions to enable construction of fuel storage, shore power and carbon capture and storage. There may also be questions on how the updated planning regulations will interact with policies around protected coastal landscapes.

Last week, MPs questioned maritime sector representatives and a planning expert. The Committee will produce a report in November with recommendations on further amendments to the draft NPSP.

Source: The Transport Committee