A PLANNING inquiry has been told that a rival scheme to the proposed new Dibden Bay container terminal on the shores of Southampton Water would have better rail links.

Southampton docks operator Associated British Ports (ABP) put its case for Dibden Bay to a 13-month inquiry which ended in December.

Now an inquiry into plans for another huge deep sea container port, the London Gateway project on the former Shell Haven oil refinery site at Stanford-le-Hope in Essex is under way.

The Peninsular and Orient Steam Navigation Company (P& O) and Shell UK are applying for the redevelopment of the site, as well as various other orders to support road, sea and rail links.

In support of that scheme, transport consultant Doctor Simon Temple said London Gateway was better placed than some other locations in terms of transport links.

He said: "London and the south-east is the largest generator of containerised freight in Britain.

"London Gateway is in the heart of that region whereas Felixstowe (Suffolk) and Southampton are on the periphery of it.

"Therefore, in that sense, London Gateway is better located in relation to inland origins and destinations."

At the Dibden Bay Inquiry, ABP rail transport consultant Michael Garrett said that if the government and Strategic Rail Authori-ties went ahead with the strategies which had been drawn up, ABP would be able to achieve its rail transport targets.

Strategic Rail Authority freight market development head John Chapman indicated shortly after Mr Garrett had given his evidence that under the present structure, there could be problems in places where container trains had to cross lines used by 125mph mainline expresses.

Dibden inquiry inspector Michael Hurley is preparing a report to deliver to Transport Secretary Alistair Darling in October. The London Gateway Inquiry ends in August