Hamilton's container docks to the East End.

And developers are close to finalising arrangements for two public meetings to discuss the proposed relocation of the container port at Southside.

Officials at the Bermuda Land Development Company, who launched the 30-year project on Tuesday, are planning the public meetings for November 3 and 4.

The first four-hour meeting will start at 4 p.m. and will take place on the Marginal Wharf site.

The second meeting is scheduled for Hamilton at 4 p.m. the next day, probably in the Princess Hotel.

St. George's Deputy Mayor Lois Perinchief wants talks to express concerns that the move could lead to a huge increase in trucks in and around St. David's.

She told the Royal Gazette : "The roads in the East End of the Island are already very heavily used and there will be serious problems if the traffic load increases too much.

"I am now seeking assurances from the BLDC because it is important this problem is not overlooked.

"I don't have a problem with the container docks coming but it's vital that cargo is unloaded on site and then transported across the Island in phases.'' The BLDC says shipping expert Joseph Barbera, who carried out a 1992 report on the docks, found Hamilton Docks -- which are owned by the Corporation of Hamilton -- would reach capacity by the year 2009.

Hamilton Mayor William Frith said he was "open minded'' about the grand plan to move the docks.

But he said he would wait for the public meetings before formalising his views.

He added: "It's been talked about for some time and the scheme is still in the exploratory stages.

"There was a report some time ago which stated the Hamilton docks had only a limited life-span and there is an awful lot of detailed work to go through yet.

"It's far too soon to talk about fine details, such as the implications for jobs, because any developments would be years ahead. As far as I'm concerned, at the moment the docks are in Hamilton to stay.'' And Mike Lohan, managing director of Stevedoring Services Ltd. said he also wanted to hear more details before forming a final opinion.

He said: "We are not against progress of any kind and a move such as this could be beneficial to the Island.

"But it would certainly require a great deal of consideration before being implemented.'' BLDC spokesman Don Grearson said: "We appreciate there could be major difficulties with traffic in the East End of the Island and certainly the Causeway could become a bottleneck. We are aware of these issues and we are constantly looking for solutions.'' SHIPPING SHI