Wildlife Trust urges strong safeguards for wildlife habitats amid Solent Gateway 2 plans - Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has raised significant concerns over Associated British Ports’ (ABP) proposals for Solent Gateway 2, warning that the plans risk causing damage to important wildlife habitats.

The proposals involve creating a new automotive terminal on reclaimed land between Marchwood and Hythe, including a new jetty, road infrastructure, and a country park.

The Solent and its surrounding designated sites, including the New Forest, are of exceptional ecological importance, home to a vast array of wildlife including breeding and over-wintering birds, nationally important invertebrates, and carbon-storing habitats like saltmarsh and seagrass.

The Trust has significant concerns that the proposed port expansion will result in an unprecedented level of encroachment on to these wildlife sites, including direct damage to Dibden Bay Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which is home to nationally rare and scarce species including important breeding bird populations such as lapwing.

The Trust believes that the project will infringe on more than 100 hectares of land within the Dibden Bay SSSI – and considers this level of development wholly inappropriate and fundamentally incompatible with the site’s protected status.

Debbie Tann MBE, Chief Executive of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: “The Solent and the New Forest are already under significant ecological pressure, with many habitats and species in long-term decline. It is critical that further development does not push the Solent’s ecosystems beyond recovery thresholds. We are advocating for strong safeguards and offering advice on the emerging proposals to ensure that the potential impacts on wildlife, habitats, and the proposed country park are fully considered.”