CAMPAIGNERS against a £50million freight depot being built near Stowmarket received a boost today.The Action Committee Against Containers (ACAG), which is opposing the Creeting St Peter plan, has joined forces with opponents to a similar move in Essex.

CAMPAIGNERS against a £50million freight depot being built near Stowmarket received a boost today.

The Action Committee Against Containers (ACAG), which is opposing the Creeting St Peter plan, has joined forces with opponents to a similar move in Essex.

Port owner Hutchison Ports UK Ltd wants to build a 1,400 metre quay at Bathside Bay in Harwich, including crane loading container facilities.

The scheme is planned for coastline opposite Shotley and has generated much opposition in Suffolk as a result.

It is thought 300 new jobs could be created by the development, while backers of the Creeting St Peter scheme believe it will bring 500 jobs. The land under consideration is off the A1120.

Dave Llewellyn, a member of ACAG, said a meeting between the respective protesters has been planned to take place in Harwich on Monday.

He said: "There may be certain synergies in our campaigns and it's in both our interests to meet up.

"They are both very similar development proposals and there may be knowledge we've gained that we can share."

Mr Llewellyn, of Dove Gardens, Stowmarket, also suggested the two proposals may need to be considered jointly to see if they "overlap".

He said: "It may be that both developments need to be considered in harmony as they as they're both very similar.

"To have both of them might not make sense."

ACAG is also planning a presentation to Stowmarket Town Council, who initially supported the proposal, in a bid to win them over.

A spokesman for Mid Suffolk District Council said no progress has been made on the proposal since the initial application at the beginning of this year.

He said: "We've been waiting for an environmental statement for many months now and we could be waiting many more.

"If we did get then the consultation will begin, but we're really still at the beginning of the process."