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Landmark barristers played a significant part in securing planning permission after years of delay for a major port scheme in the Thames Gateway.
The London Gateway scheme at Shellhaven will be comprised of up to seven container vessel berths and a roll-on-roll-off facility along 2.7km of the quayside on the site of the former Shell oil refinery in Thurrock.
Developer DP World plans to invest about 1.5 billion in the project over the next 10 to 15 years. Construction is planned to begin later this year, with the first occupiers being in place within 12 to 18 months and the port operational from 2010.
The port will provide 1,900 jobs, with thousands more in a logistics and business park next to the port. A public inquiry into the development was held in 2003. An inspector recommended conditions to mitigate the scheme's impact, particularly on the roads network.
The government issued two letters of approval. No development could take place until its concerns over congestion were allayed, it insisted. Transport Minister Gillian Merron said: "It has taken time to finalise this decision. But it was right to consider it carefully."
Christopher Katkowski QC promoted and was instructed by MacFarlanes, David Forsdick represented the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), David Smith represented the Treasury Solicitors, Eian Caws represented the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), Nathalie Lieven QC represented Transco (British Gas) and William Hicks QC and Matthew Reed represented BP Oil.
