The Port of London Authority (PLA) has broken ground for the construction of a new radar tower in Northfleet, Kent, as part of the 18-strong radar network it operates, overseeing safe navigation on the UK’s busiest waterway, the company said in its press release.
The PLA is investing £1 million in replacing the existing Northfleet radar, located on Tarmac’s riverside office building, with a new 50-metre tall tower that will house the latest, energy efficient system. Tarmac’s Northfleet site is ideally located, offering excellent line of sight along two busy reaches of the Thames; they import more than half a million tonnes of cement through their berths every year.
The Thames is home to 70 independently operated terminals, supplying the bulk of south-east’s vehicle and airport fuel, the country’s largest grain and forestry products terminals, and facilitating the shipping of food, household goods, steel, cars, waste, and construction aggregates.
Breheny Civil Engineering has been contracted to install the tower installed over the next six months; PLA radar and communications equipment commissioning will follow.