BIG guns from trade unions and commerce have thrown their weight behind the controversial Dibden Terminal development on Southampton Water.

Backing for the proposal comes after ABP officially lodged their planning application to create world-class container berths on the man-made reclaimed land earlier this week.

The plans are now likely to be the at the centre of one of the most important public inquiries seen in the region in recent years as diehard local protesters claim that Dibden Bay is not needed for the UK's international trade and that it will damage the environment.

The South West branch of the Trans-port and General Workers' Union, which represents thousands of employees in the area, has come out in favour of the scheme which ABP says will create up to 3,000 new jobs locally.

"Trade unions in Hampshire are fully behind the Dibden Terminal project,'' said a spokesman for the T&G.

"This new terminal will create jobs for construction workers, and a range of different skills and trades.

"This will be particularly welcome in the Waterside, an area which has seen rising unemployment in recent years.

"It will offer a brighter future of high quality employment for young people in our community.''

Also set on a course in support of the proposals is Southampton Shipowners' Association.

"Southampton is one of the UK's largest, most important and diverse ports,'' said the association.

"To compete effectively with its European competitors it has to expand to provide a range of facilities that world shipping is demanding.

"With the world growth in container shipping the UK capacity will be exh-austed in the next few years unless projects like the Dibden Terminal go ahead.

"The Southampton Shipowners and Shipbrokers Association fully supports this project which will help maintain the UK's leading place in the deep sea container and roll-on/roll-off markets.''

The Confederation of British Ind-ustries, together with Southampton and Fareham Chamber of Commerce and Industry and shipping company Mitsui OSK Line, one of the leading container lines using Southampton, have all pledged their backing to the scheme.

The public inquiry into Dibden Bay is expected to start in the Spring of next year with the government announcing its decision sometime during 2002.

If given the go-ahead work on the terminal would start straight away on building the berths, with the first ships along in 2004 and with the terminal fully operational in 2011.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.