Its location is on the site of a former oil terminal outside the locks at Avonmouth.

“We are encouraged to see how the processing of applications like this has been speeding up and we therefore hope that we will be able to secure a public inquiry towards the end of the year,” said Mr Bird.  “We feel very positive about the container terminal and we are really confident that the market will support this.”

There are no rail or road issues in connection with the expansion and the port has been working with Natural England and other environmental bodies on a habitat compensation project, he added.

Bristol says it is closer to the population as a whole than any of the other UK deepsea ports, so its new terminal would offer a “green” solution, fitting in with the government’s sustainable transport aspirations.

“We know there is a critical shortage of deepsea container capacity in the UK and notwithstanding short-term credit crunches, the long-term growth of containers coming in from Asia will continue,” said Mr Bird.

 “This side of the country is not congested and by getting closer to the market we can achieve fewer lorry miles and therefore fewer emissions.”