Sutton Bridge area farmer backs the £3b Centre Port plans for a tidal barrier during tense meeting in Hunstanton

A Lincolnshire farmer has backed a controversial project to create a £3billion tidal barrage and deep sea port over The Wash.

Stafford Proctor, who farms in the Sutton Bridge area, said the Centre Port project would secure agriculture in the Fens as he backed the plans during a packed public meeting.

Last year we revealed that Centre Port Ltd wanted to create an 11-mile barrage between Lincolnshire and Norfolk. The plan would involve a deep sea container terminal, renewable energy generation, a road across the mouth of the Wash and flood defences to protect south Lincolnshire from the effects of climate change and future tidal surges.

But the plans have been slammed by conservation charities who have warned that the plans could cause catastrophic damage to the important wetlands.

Mr Proctor told the meeting in Hunstanton’s Princess Theatre on Friday: "I support this proposal on the basis of the flood defence.

“This is a major food production area which is at risk due to rising sea levels.

"The cost of sea defences needed would be astronomical and it is unlikely this would come from the public purse.

"What alternative is there? Managed retreat is not an option in the Fens."

Centre Port CEO John Sutcliffe appeared before a rowdy crowd at a public meeting, hosted by Hunstanton Town Council, to discuss the plans.

To the frustration of some, Mr Sutcliffe waited until towards the end of the meeting to provide more information about the project – leaving his critics to speak about a scheme they were yet to know specific details about.

The £3billion project, which will take more than a decade to come to fruition if given the go-ahead, was presented as a vital future sea defence that would also create a reliable source of renewable energy.

It was likened to a “colander” which would allow the huge tidal flow to go in and out through roughly 40 turbines, producing power for 600,000 homes and businesses in the region.

It would also be able to hold back the flow of water as a flood prevention measure.

“We do not have the luxury of time,” said Mr Sutcliffe, who argued the scheme is necessary to protect the communities around The Wash against rising sea levels and storm surges.

He believes it could make the east into an economic “powerhouse” by creating what would be the first of its kind in the world, boosting the shipping and energy industry.

The offshore container port would be located on the Lincolnshire side, due to Norfolk’s roads being “unsuitable” for the volume of freight traffic it would produce.

Investors from the USA and the Middle East have already shown interest in the project, according to the CEO.

In an attempt to sweeten the deal, Mr Sutcliffe promised the people of Hunstanton a new four-mile-long beach where people “can see the sunset go down”. He said it would have minimal visual impact.

However, this did not go down well with the audience. Cheers erupted when one person said: “We don’t want it here.”

It was a tense and fractious event, with high tempers leading to frequent outbursts which Hunstanton mayor Mike Ruston and Coun Robert Corby tried to control.

There are huge reservations from environmentalists and local organisations about the project, who fear it would have disastrous consequences for the environment and the fishing industry.

Mike Jones of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust voiced concerns that the “irreplaceable and fragile” habitat of The Wash could be “permanently degraded”, pointing to the effect other tidal barrages have had on wildlife.

Andy Bullen of the Lynn Conservancy Board and Judith Stoutt of the Eastern Inshore Fisheries Authority were also among those critical of the scheme.

Mr Bullen asked: “I don’t think it can successfully be built, so where is this whole project going?”

West Norfolk Council leader Terry Parish also raised several concerns about the project, mentioning the impact on wildlife and the fishing industry.

However, he said the borough council has no official position until detailed plans are put forward.

“We need to know the consequences before we consider our actions,” he said.

Mr Sutcliffe said a full feasibility and impact assessment would be carried out, and that if it was deemed likely to cause adverse harm to The Wash’s wildlife it would not go ahead.