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Permission for the uncompleted 1988 scheme was finally granted following a fierce battle with environmentalists.
Over the years, all of Felixstowe's expansion plans have been approved with the backing of the local community and against opposition from environmental groups. The overriding factor, however, has always been the national interest.
During the 60's, 70's and even the 80's, Britain's other major ports were on the point of either mutiny or collapse, and the interests of the country, town and port coincided.
Things have changed. It could well be argued that it would be against the national interest to allow further expansion at a single place.
The local community is distinctly lukewarm and worried about everything from traffic to television reception. There are already proposals to curtail the growth of the town by limiting new house building.
A substantial and influential part of the labour force remains disaffected following last year's dispute and will hardly welcome a further influx of what they consider low paid " blue contract" employees able to out-vote the older "green contract" employees in any future arguments.
The "bird" section of the environmentalists, long ago settled into a cosy relationship with the port, but others are in the wings waiting to raise a variety of issues. Everything from light pollution to traffic noise is on the agenda waiting to be reawakened.
It seems unnatural for those who have been associated with the port during its period of growth to query the wisdom of further expansion, but many are raising questions.
On previous occasions those onlookers most capable of attacking the port's plans either supported growth or held their fire.
But that was in the last third of the twentieth century, we are now in the first part of the twenty-first, and permissions granted twelve years ago have lapsed.
Different rules apply.
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