Public and private sector leaders have set out their joint vision for a new freeport on the East Coast of England.
Freeport East would focus on the Port of Felixstowe and Harwich International Port – both owned by Hutchison Ports – and be a strategic hub linking UK importers and exporters with suppliers and customers globally.
The vision has been set out jointly by business and local government leaders from Essex, Suffolk, and the wider region. The announcement of the plan follows the opening of the freeports bidding process in England.
Clemence Cheng, executive director of Hutchison Ports and managing director of Hutchison Ports Europe, said: “The combination of the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich offers the UK a unique opportunity in the post-Brexit world, sitting as they do at the main junction point between the UK's principal trade route to and from the Far East and key freight links to and from northern Europe.
“Together with the leading edge technical skills that come with the partnership with universities, including the University of Cambridge, this combination can serve as a powerful magnet to bring new investment into the UK and in particular to the area around this unique junction point.”
It will create a manufacturing, green energy and innovation hub that capitalises on the unique qualities of the eastern region, the latest advances in digital technology and the Internet of Things, the industry knowledge of the partners involved and the as-yet untapped technological and scientific centres on Freeport East’s doorstep. With its existing links to the clean energy sector, such as the Galloper Windfarm maintenance base at Harwich, Freeport East is well positioned to lead on decarbonisation of the country’s energy needs, said the Freeport East Project Board.
Detailed plans will be set out in a formal bid document.
