AROUND 2,600 jobs could be created by a £300 million development at Dover’s Western Docks.

Dover Harbour Board says its plans for a ferry terminal would not only meet increasing freight demands but also kick-start regeneration of the town.

The board has unveiled more details about the Terminal 2 development which will feature four new ferry berths, a waterfront development of bars, restaurants and hotels, a flyover system to manage traffic from the A20 and a possible residential development at Wellington Dock.

Other touches include a freight holding area near the cruise terminal, with room for 300 trucks.

The new terminal will be financed by current income from the Eastern Docks and the board says it already has a sizeable cash sum saved in the bank.

The new jobs will be created by the development, both in terms of land-side operations and sea-based positions.

The board’s director of port development, Mike Krayenbrink, said: “All our forecasts suggest the trucks are coming anyway, so we have to do something operationally to meet the demands of the market.

“But we have taken the chance of looking at how the operational side could be linked with regeneration and we hope to provide a stimulus for people to come forward and make the leisure side a success.”

Forecasts suggest that the annual number of freight items using Dover is set to grow to 4.52 million by 2034.

Last year 2.3 million lorries passed through the port. Future consultations are now planned and building work is predicted to start in 2012.