Concrete plant could be set up at Portsmouth International Port

Brett Concrete Limited, the largest independent building materials group in the country, has applied for permission to build the new facility at Flathouse Quay where it already handles aggregates.

It said the ability to make concrete at the port would help reduce disruption and also reduce air pollution from shorter journeys.

'Such a facility increases the range of products that can be supplied into the local construction market and reduces the need for concrete to be imported from further afield,' a statement submitted with its application says. '[This will improve the] sustainability of the supply chain for local construction projects.'

The council granted planning permission to the firm for a ‘low level aggregates plant’ on the site in January. Brett said this would ‘complement’ the proposed concrete production operation.

Under current arrangements at the port, sand and gravel dredged from the sea is offloaded at the quay before being loaded onto lorries for transportation to plants elsewhere in the country.

Plans for the Portico-owned site submitted to the council propose the construction of the new batching plant, with silos up to 13m in height, which will be fed from the imported material and produce concrete for use in projects in the surrounding area.

They also include the provision for both the collection of rainwater, excess run-off and water used to wash trucks to be reused in the mixing process.

Brett said the facility would also allow it to create low or cement-free concrete ‘if the demand is there’.

The statement adds: ‘The proposed development seeks to make best use of part of the existing port, enabling concrete to be produced close to the centre of Portsmouth, enabling developments in and around Portsmouth to source materials with reduced road transport distances.’

The council has set a deadline of May 26 for reaching a decision on the application.