Emerging plans unveiled for fertiliser terminal at port

Emerging plans for a new liquid fertiliser terminal at the Port of Sunderland’s Hudson Dock have been revealed.Brineflow – a Great Yarmouth-headquartered business which manufactures and distributes Nitrasol liquid fertilisers – has submitted a request for screening opinion to Sunderland City Council.The proposed development is for a 4.2-acre parcel of disused land at Youngs Quay.Under the plans, eight holding tanks, measuring up to 17m high and 22m in diameter, will be built along with the associated infrastructure needed for the importing and storage of liquid fertiliser by ship.Port of Sunderland has been identified as a suitable location due to its location along the eastern coast of the UK and its ability to handle large tanker vessels.The concentrated product is transported on ships and subsequently diluted with water to create a liquid fertiliser that is suitable for spraying onto fields. This will then be transported to farms and agricultural sites using road tankers.During the peak spring season, up to 25 tankers per day will load up and transport the product to end users, though in the low winter season this will reduce to eight to 10 tankers per week.The request for screening opinion – prepared by R & K Wood Planning on behalf of Brineflow – is to determine whether the development requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).