News & Events | News

Monday 12th November 2007

European law firm SJ Berwin LLP’s Planning and Environment team has assisted PD Ports in securing Outline Planning Permission for the £300m Northern Gateway Container Terminal at Teesport from Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council.  The deep sea terminal could create up to 5,000 jobs for the Tees Valley and has the potential to create significant new opportunities for inward investment and growth of existing businesses.  The planning application was submitted in April of last year.

SJ Berwin has been advising on the planning application for the landside operations, which comprise a 55 hectare container handling area behind a 1,000 m quay face with an inter-modal rail terminal, cargo handling equipment, lorry parking, offices and gatehouses.  SJ Berwin also advised on the Environmental Impact Assessment.  London based law firm Rees and Freres has been advising on the relevant parliamentary orders.  These include a Harbour Revision Order, which will allow the creation of new berths and the dredging of the river channel to accommodate the increased ship sizes and container vessel flow coming directly into Teesport from the Far East, as well as an order under the Transport and Works Act 1992. The orders are with the Department for Transport awaiting determination.

 PD Ports plans to have the first phase of the Northern Gateway Container Terminal operational by 2010.

SJ Berwin planning partner Duncan Field commented, “This is an exciting and extremely significant project for the North East.  We are delighted to be involved and now that planning permission has been granted, we look forward to advising our client through the next stage of delivering the Northern Gateway.” 

Duncan is leading the team at SJ Berwin which also includes Senior Associate, Daniel Farrand.

For further information please contact:

Duncan Field on +44 (0)20 7111 2225, email duncan.field@sjberwin.com  or Karen Roberts on +44 (0)20 7111 2578, email karen.roberts@sjberwin.com   

S J Berwin LLP

• On 1 June 2005 SJ Berwin LLP, an English limited liability partnership, took over the business of the SJ Berwin general partnership.  SJ Berwin LLP or an affiliated undertaking has an office in Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris and Turin.
   
• SJ Berwin LLP was named ‘UK Firm of the Year’ at the Global Chambers Awards 2007. 
   
• SJ Berwin's Real Estate Division totals 150 staff  in London of which 23 are partners (3 of which are tax partners) ,and over 70 associates, encompassing the disciplines of Commercial Real Estate, Construction, Planning & Environment, Property Litigation, Real Estate Funds and Tax.  In addition there are 3 partners specialising in real estate in our Continental European offices.  There is an increasing emphasis on cross departmental activity with related areas of Banking and Corporate and also cross border / pan European real estate work, with our European offices.  The division acts for blue chip clients including British Land, Royal Bank of Scotland, the Hilton Group, Brixton plc, AXA, The Crown Estate, Marks & Spencer and Gazeley.
   
• The Real Estate Team was Legal Business Real Estate Team of the Year 2005.  It was also named "Real Estate Team of the Year" in the Lawyer Magazine Awards 2004, following its advice on the RBS/Canary Wharf transaction, the highest-value property investment transaction in the UK in 2004.
   
• Revenue from Real Estate represents approximately 21% of the firm's total revenue in London.
   

PD Ports

• On October 11th 2007,  PD PORTS received an Award for Excellence for the Northern Gateway in the category of Transport, Policy and Planning from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport