Over the 28th and 29th of February, the Port of Dover 2050 Project attended a second round of special workshop sessions of the Port and Community Forum (PCF) and Port Users Group (PUG). These gatherings marked the next important stage of our engagement process with stakeholders actively participating in helping to shape the future of one of Britain's most crucial maritime gateways.The agenda for these sessions was focused on looking at what social, environmental, financial and economic outcomes we all want to achieve and exploring some possible ideas for change that could help in delivering those outcomes.&nbsp;One of the key takeaways from these discussions was the particular desire to bolster the Port's capacity to accommodate future traffic projections and growth opportunities whilst reducing congestion in and around the Port to ensure unimpeded local community and business activity.&nbsp;Acknowledging the global challenge of climate change and the urgent drive to decarbonise, among the prioritised outcomes chosen by the PCF was the provision of clean electricity to power hybrid or fully electric ferries, cruise ships, and cargo vessels. Beyond the outcomes already suggested, there was a desire to consider ways in which the Port can deliver industry-specific skills, including to prepare the local community for future jobs and opportunities. There was also a strong recognition of the importance of collaboration with the town and wider stakeholders, recognising the desire and importance of working in partnership to deliver shared outcomes.Within the ideas for change, there was overwhelming support from both groups for using digital technology to improve the safety, security, and especially flow of traffic through border controls, around the Port, and on the public highway.&nbsp;The Port User Group emphasised the importance of ensuring that the local community benefits from the Port as a 'good neighbour', as well as suggestions to incentivise cruise passengers to visit the town through improved public transport connections.There was also a call for greater flexibility of land use across the Port estate to respond quickly to changing customer and business demands.Interested in participating? Make sure to check Commonplace frequently for updates or visit the Marine Office's feedback station to share your thoughts before 31st March.

Community stakeholders and port users focus on outcomes and ideas for future change 

Port of Dover Calls on&nbsp;Stakeholders to Help Shape Future of the Port&nbsp;The Port of Dover is today launching a 6-week public engagement period to hear from local communities, visitors, Port users and wider stakeholders on the outcomes and ideas they think the Port should pursue to 2050.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is the latest phase of ‘Port of Dover 2050’, the programme by Britain’s busiest port and ARUP to develop a long-term plan to become the UK’s most seamless, sustainable, and tech-enabled port, entrenching the Port as a symbol of national trade resilience well into the future.&nbsp;&nbsp;In our ever-changing world, patterns and behaviours of travel, business, commerce, and leisure are rapidly changing too – driven by societal shifts, technological advances, economic change, and our climate and environment. The Port of Dover itself faces challenges as it looks ahead to the future, from the critical need to decarbonise maritime and road transport and rising sea levels, to skills gaps and rapid advancements in digitalisation. However, through its 2050 plan and the identification of solutions, these challenges will become opportunities. &nbsp;&nbsp;Doug Bannister, Chief Executive of the Port of Dover, said:&nbsp;“The level and scale of change seen by the Port of Dover throughout its history, from Roman times to the award of our royal charter in 1606, to today, is simply vast. To remain an established strategic asset for the United Kingdom to the present day has taken creativity and innovation at every step to adapt to the challenges of the day.&nbsp;&nbsp;Port of Dover 2050 is our strategic masterplan project to help us understand the opportunities and challenges the Port faces now and into the future and the changes and potential investments we need to make over the long term. With the launch of the public engagement period today, we are seeking to work with our many stakeholders to identify the best solutions; subsequently driving value for our business and employees, the local community, and the regional and national economy – through economic, environmental, and social benefits.&nbsp;&nbsp;So far, through our online engagement hub, we've been delighted to hear from members of the public, community organisations, businesses, and our employees about your memories and aspirations for the future of the Port. These have informed the possible outcomes and ideas for change<a href="https://portofdover2050.commonplace.is/en-GB/proposals/port-of-dover-2050-public-consultation/step1"> we are now seeking your views on</a> – and we can’t wait to hear from you during this next stage of the 2050 engagement journey.&nbsp;

Port of Dover Calls on Stakeholders to Help Shape Future of the Port 

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/commonplace-digital-limited/image/upload/v1702904435/projects/portofdover2050/9e601124-84ab-47f3-86c4-2084c66ec43a.jpg" /> The Port Users Group (PUG) met on Tuesday 5 December, contributing expertise from a broad range of customers, operators, partners and users into a workshop that not only studied and rationalised the vital global drivers that will affect the future of the Port, but also revealed mutual aspirations for a shared, positive future that aligned with views expressed at the Port and Community Forum (PCF) a week earlier. At the heart of the Group’s discussion were considerations on how to best maximise traffic fluidity in order to enable future growth and opportunity for the port whilst alleviating negative impacts on the local community and businesses. Importantly, this led to a discussion on how to foster a long-term step change in the positive perception of the port and Dover more widely. Trade, Travel and Community At the heart of the PUG’s focus was the need to continue successfully adapting to post-Brexit challenges whilst responding to the continuation of express online purchasing demand and the impacts of de-globalisation that may result in more goods moving between the UK and Europe. Echoing the PCF, Port and town cohesion, with a focus on developing experience and leisure opportunities suggested increasing collaboration with local partners would be required. Sustainability and Environment The Group stressed that electrification of the route was the way ahead, from the ferries and other vessels to lorries and cars, meaning the Port will need to be in a position to provide for this. Rail was not deemed suitable for Dover’s operations, with road freight remaining the dominant form of transportation for goods into the long term. Devoting time, energy and resources to driving sustainability and resilience was deemed of paramount importance for the Port, its users and the people of Dover. Assets, Technology and Operations The Group was keen to discuss the practical applications of technology to help streamline operations across the Port. The need for a better understanding of where lorries are on the network was discussed, with ideas such as virtual lorry queues and electronic notifications to call drivers to the Port in order to proceed onto the ferry. A dedicated inland facility for processing lorries away from the Port (including for queuing, driver welfare, refuelling and border processing) was a popular idea, emphasising the need to reduce congestion leading up the Port. The overriding message from the PUG was the desire for more collaboration between the Port and its stakeholders to provide a seamless exchange of ideas and drive the long-term development and success of the port and its users. There was a great sense of anticipation in the room as to where the future could take us together.

The Port Users Group meet to share their inputs into the 2050 Plans

Imagine the Port in 2050...

The Port of Dover 2050: Empower Exchange project is looking to understand where we need to be planning for change and investing for our future.

This Engagement Hub is the primary way in which the Port will collect your thoughts and feedback. Get involved today with our memory map activity and future trends exercise.