Freight News, Sea


Parliament revamps port guidelines

[ November 24, 2025   //   ]

The UK Parliament’s Transport Committee has published a report recommending howr how the Government could improve its draft revised National Policy Statement (NPS) for ports.

The NPS contains guidance that the Secretary of State is legally required to follow when deciding whether to approve planning applications for nationally significant infrastructure projects. They also act as a guide for developers, helping them to design projects that are likely to comply with regulations and policy

It aims to support the need for significant increases in port capacity over the next 30 years to accommodate trade, offshore energy development, and regional economic growth along with decarbonisation and biodiversity and to clarify the relationship between port development and wider planning frameworks.

Transport Committee Chair Ruth Cadbury said: “The ports sector was broadly supportive of the Government’s draft revision of the NPS, the first since 2012. There was particular appreciation for its continued presumption in favour of development, and its market-led approach to investment in this sector, which plays a vital role in trade, energy and economic growth. Our Committee shares the sector’s view that the Government should continue to drive towards a more streamlined, efficient planning process for port developments.

“It was very welcome to hear industry voices call for greater emphasis on how the NPS could be used to bolster modal shift, and to enable greater investment in grid capacity and infrastructure for shore power. The Committee was glad to see the sector showing leadership on reducing carbon emissions and, in effect, talking up the role ports could play in helping to decarbonise the UK’s wider system of freight distribution.

“The Committee also sides with those calling for ports to receive ‘Critical National Priority’ status. This would help the sector expand with the pace and certainty required as demand from imports and exports look forecast to rise, alongside increasing activity in building off-shore wind.”

Associated British Ports mansterplanner, Cathy Hall, added: “The National Policy Statement for Ports is a critical part of the policy landscape and the Committee has played a vital role in stress-testing this updated version. The UK’s ports are vital national assets, central to the resilience and prosperity of the nation.

“This inquiry helps embed the presumption in favour of port development that will keep ports fit for the future, able to respond to commercial imperatives, enable trade and unlock regional growth.”

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