Second Tyne Tunnel waste to extend dock

Jul 10 2009 by Sonia Sharma, The Journal

WASTE from building the second Tyne Tunnel could be recycled to help the riverside economy.

Plans have been drawn up to use 400,000 cubic metres of material dredged during the project to infill a water area at Tyne Dock, South Shields.

This would create an extra 13 acres of land for the Port of Tyne Authority, which runs the dock, and help to increase its activities.

The proposals are to be discussed by a South Tyneside Council planning committee next week with officers recommending approval subject to environmental conditions.

A planning report says: “The PoTA considers the dock is no longer suitable for modern shipping requirements. This is because its use is limited by the size of the dock gates that cannot accommodate bulk carrier ships.

“It can accommodate a panamax ship, which is 12.1m in depth, 225m in length and 32m in width, at Riverside Quay directly to the west of Tyne Dock. Only a limited number of smaller vessels use the dock at present and these are usually associated with the movement of timber or scrap metal.

“The authority considers that infilling the dock would create further land for port-related activities enabling its business to grow regionally and beyond.”

The work will need around 520,000 cubic metres of waste to create the land. Finding that amount and importing it would have been problematic and costly.