Parliament has granted Portsmouth International Port an up-to-date Harbour Revision Order (HRO) which will help it achieve its aims for sustainable growth.
An HRO, which must be passed through Parliament, sets out the powers that a harbour authority has. The new HRO for Portsmouth brings together multiple, outdated regulations that evolved over many years as the council-owned port developed, consolidating them into a single order.
Under the new HRO, the port will now be able to prevent unnecessary planning delays as it seeks to develop and improve its land and infrastructure in line with its Masterplan’s objective for sustainable growth.
Additionally, the harbour master will have powers to ensure the safety of the waters and land around the port and the Camber, to make sure users are behaving in a responsible way, and to protect port property and the marine environment.
Portsmouth City Council Leader Steve Pitt, cabinet member responsible for the port, said: “The HRO has been a long time in the making, and better enables the port to be the master of its own destiny, by helping it to avoid planning and other regulatory barriers that were hampering its plans for future growth.
“The port’s Masterplan is one of the cornerstones of the city’s economic prosperity into the future, and the new HRO provides the platform to meet those objectives.”
Harbour master Ben McInnes said: “Where previously we’ve been unable to directly tackle issues such as antisocial behaviour and poor parking in and around the Camber and on port land, we’ll now be able to deal with those problems more quickly, meaning we can make Portsmouth’s harbour a safer place.”
