Alternatives

The official attitude to alternatives really depends on which government department one talks to. The environmental departments might suggest that Felixstowe or Thames Gateway (Shellhaven) are realistic alternatives to Dibden. Some might even want to export the environmental problem by suggesting the cargo should be trans-shipped at Rotterdam or Hamburg (at significant cost to the UK economy). The environmental impact regulations are more realistic. They recognise that a developer (in this case ABP) does NOT have the option of relocating to the Thames or Felixstowe, and examination of such options should be restricted to information to which the developer might reasonably have access. For example, when Felixstowe wanted to deepen their channel, DETR (as it then was) simply said that the company had no alternative if it was to remain a deepsea container port. The matter was dismissed in a few paragraphs. Once again, government can and does choose an interpretation to suit its current needs.