The Port of Dover plans to build on land reclaimed from the sea to create more space to process passengers in the hope of reducing delays when the EU’s introduces its biometric border controls system next year.
The port’s chief executive, Doug Bannister, said building out into the sea could help, after previously warning the new system could cause long tailbacks. The biometric controls, known as the Entry/Exit System, were due to be introduced in 2022 but have been delayed until autumn 2024.
The automated IT system replaces the manual stamping of passports, which the EU says is time-consuming, and is designed to register travellers from third countries each time they cross an EU external border.
It will record the person’s name, type of travel document and biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images) as well as the date and place of entry and exit, as well as refusals of entry.
In the past few years, post-Brexit checks have contributed to waiting times and led to long queues at the port.
Bannister told the BBC that the port had already been planning to reclaim land in its western docks for cargo use. He intends to speed up the project so the area can be used to accommodate passengers when the new border checks start.
This acceleration will cost an extra £2m. The port hopes to finalise the design by the end of the year and start work on reclaiming land in the spring. It is also hoping for a financial contribution from the government.
Bannister said an app could be developed to handle part of the registration process before people arrive at the port. He said the port needed a solution to prevent “unacceptable” queues forming at the border.
This summer, passenger numbers recovered and are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels at the port. Dover had its busiest day since before the Covid outbreak on Saturday 29 July when 800 cars arrived every hour at peak times. The average wait time over the summer was 41 minutes during busy periods.
The owner of Eurotunnel, Getlink, is also working to create a new area at a cost of £100m where passengers will be able to register their data at 75 stands.
