Boosting trade and coastal communities post-Brexit? 10 ways to do it.

UKMPG ‘There’s a lot of press coverage today about Government funding for regions post Brexit. But the UK’s ports sector has got there first, laying out a ten-point plan of simple reforms that can turbo-charge our ports industry at this vital time for trade in the UK and boost investment, jobs and prosperity in coastal communities all around the UK.

The plan, developed by the UK Major Ports Group (UKMPG) in combination with the British Ports Association, lists a number of changes to planning law and other legislation that will allow ports to invest more quickly and flexibly, and with greater confidence. This increases the capability of the UK to trade with the world, absolutely essential however Brexit plays out with 95% of the UK’s trade in goods passing through its ports. Importantly, many of the reforms suggested in the plan will not just boost UK ports, but the coastal communities around them.

Common sense reform of local planning law is central to the plan, in order to give ports greater ability to invest and grow. Amongst the key proposals are:

• Increase the scope of Permitted Development Rights within ports to cover more value adding & job creating activities.
• Making the impact on trade and investment a material consideration in planning decisions
• Giving Masterplans for ports same formal recognition as other local masterplans. Giving them the same weighting in local planning as residential, commercial and some industrial plans already are.
• Special consideration should be applied to coastal communities in the National Planning Policy Framework, as is already the case for rural communities.
• Develop pro-trade, pro investment ‘port zones’ around specific ports and their hinterland areas’

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