Centre Port

Council leader is 'open-minded' about proposed 11-mile tidal barrier and huge port in The Wash

Boston Borough Council leader Paul Skinner says he is yet to form a view on the proposed £2billion wave-powered container port and 11-mile tidal barrier in The Wash. Developer Port Evo says between 1.5m and 4m containers would be processed annually from 2028, with thousands of jobs created in the construction stage and once the facility is operational.

The idea is to use water turbines to capture incoming and outgoing tides twice a day to power the terminal and up to 600,000 homes and businesses in the region. The barrier would stretch from near Skegness to Hunstanton in Norfolk, with a road between the two points and is forecast to protect more than one million people from flooding.

Centre Port says the scheme would minimise the effects of climate change on wildlife and the ecology - but wildlife groups argue that the harm to wild birds, seals and fish would be catastrophic. Cllr Skinner said Centre Port is one of many big projects "on the cards" that would bring economic benefits but he added that a major consideration is The Wash's status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

He said: "I have an open mind at the moment. It's about balance. Until the cases are presented for and against I won't make up my mind. But I am delighted that someone has come to us and that someone is considering Lincolnshire."