Originally Posted by
felixflyer
The Lower Thames Crossing will likely be open towards the end of this decade. That will give a crossing from Gravesend to TIlbury as well as an upgraded road network around there. This will mean any freight headed north won't even need to go via the Dartford crossing.
Lets not forget Tilbury and Thamesport are both busy sea freight ports out in the Estuary and although they are not as far as Manston it isn't much by road. Seeing how freight moves around the country via distribution centres only to sometimes end up not far from where it started I don't see the issue. There is also a new station nearby and the possibility of rail freight should it prove to be a success.
With more imports/exports to places other than the EU post Brexit I think it could be a success and hope it is.
Three points.
First, ocean freight isn't as time sensitive at air cargo, so being close to the markets isn't so important, and the UK is short of deep sea port capacity, unlike our airports, which with the exception of LHR and LGW most will have capacity to absorb the potential growth of pure cargo (non integrator) services.
Second, I admire your optimism regarding the projected new Thames road crossing. For those of us living outside the Southeast that is way overdue and might actually give us access to the short sea ports and Eurotunnel without encountering the M25. However I a yet to see so much as a sod being turned, and no evidence whatsoever of any bridge or tunnel construction so, and I would love to be proven wrong, I really doubt whether this essential piece of infrastructure will be in situ before the end of this decade.
Third, there is absolutely no evidence that there will be a move from European trade to oceanic trade; at least no more than there would have been had we remained in the EU. And anyway, there is no guarantee that any of this supposed extra trade would be suitable to be flown.
If money is to be invested in air cargo facilities in UK it perhaps needs to be in central and northern England rather than yet more capacity into the southeast where land prices and labour costs are exponentially higher.