Work starts on £4.2million Border Control Building at Port of Tyne to support enhanced inspections after Brexit

The new Border Control Building will ‘support enhanced Border Control inspections to align with Brexit requirements’ with extra inspections for live animals and ‘Plants and Products of Animal Origin (POAO)’.

The new 60.5m by 24.8m building will be split into three working zones, and each area will have its own changing, inspection and toilet facilities alongside a shared office space.

The Port of Tyne received £4.2million in Government funding for the project, which is due to be complete in September 2021.

Work on the facility is being carried out by Robertson Construction, which will design and build the centre.

Garry Hope, regional managing director, Robertson Construction North East, said: “We are proud to be the delivery partner of choice for the Port of Tyne.

"The project is being delivered under fast-track to enable the Port to support new requirements in line with Brexit.

“The level of the building has been set to minimise excavation and the hardstanding which will be required to be removed will be retained and crushed onsite to be reused as part of the fill.

“Throughout the build the Port will continue its important operations 24 hours a day and our works have been programmed to minimise any disruption."

Mr Hope said the steel frame portal building will accommodate drive-in articulated lorries and house chillers, freezers and an ambient store to protect goods requiring inspection.

Kevin Emmett, head of infrastructure developments at Port of Tyne, said: “We chose Robertson Construction because of their ability to complete these works within an extremely short programme and still meet the Health, Safety and Environmental requirements associated with working in a busy Port environment.

"The project has been part of the Port’s important developments necessary to ensure we continue to facilitate a smooth transition of goods through the border in line with Government requirements following Brexit.”

Work starting on the Border Control facility comes after news of another project planned for the Port of Tyne.

As reported by the Gazette, a planning application has been submitted for an operations and maintenance base serving Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore windfarm, which will create more than 200 jobs in the North East.

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