DON'T rely on photographs. Go down to Hythe and judge for yourself the potential impact of putting a massive container port at Dibden Bay!

That was the message from landscape architect Bettina Kirkham to government planning inspector Michael Hurley.

Mrs Kirkham rubbished ABP's assessment of the effect the proposals would have on the quality of local life.

A week after the release of computerised photographic images - revealing just what the new Dibden Bay Container Port would actually look like - caused a sensation on both sides of Southampton Water, Mrs Kirkham warned the inspector not to let technology beguile him into forgetting the real thing.

"Photographs are only an aide memoire," she told the inquiry sitting at Southampton's Eastern Docks.

"You must spend time on the actual marina to get a true impression.

"Spend as much time as possible in Hythe - it's a very enjoyable spot!"

Mrs Kirkham, representing residents and businesses on Hythe Marina, thought ABP should have dedicated more time to studying the locality.

"ABP has misrepresented Hythe Marina Village as urban, comparable to the urban areas of Southampton or industrial parts of Marchwood. This is not the case," she said.

"ABP say that a field survey was undertaken of the broad study area. But very little effective work seems to have been undertaken to identify potential viewpoints in any depth.

"ABP has made a major underestimation of the number of properties whose views will be affected."

Mrs Kirkham said that the outlook from the windows of more than 560 family homes and small businesses in Hythe would suffer an adverse impact - cranes, fences and earth mounds would be visible even in Hythe village centre.

"At present the terminal site is highly valued for its scenic quality. It has a natural beauty of a simple estuarine character," she said.

"The proposed terminal is a major industrial installation on a greater scale than existing facilities in Southampton. From some places on the marina the whole of the huge cranes would be seen. From their bedrooms, people would have a view of a 24-hour-a-day industrial operation."

Mrs Kirkham said that in her judgement - as a member of the national Landscape Institute for nearly 20 years - the proposed terminal was far too close to the marina and ABP had set aside insufficient land to lessen the impact of their scheme on the nearest homes.

"I respectfully request the inspector to dismiss the terminal proposals in their entirety," she said.

ABP's counsel Martin Kingston is due to grill Mrs Kirkham on her findings today.