New Greenwich river pier could see £3.4 million funding agreed
Plans for a new river pier on the western side of Greenwich peninsula cold see millions in funding if plans are agreed.
Greenwich Council’s Planning Board will tonight decide on two major Greenwich peninsula developments. One is a revised design for Enderby Wharf which would see towers beside the recently agreed Morden Wharf site to the north.
Another is a student and residential development on Boord Street beside the Blackwall tunnel approach.
Reports before the Planning Board tonight highlight projected spending on a new Thames Clippers river pier using Section 106 income from both.
A new pier would be the third in Greenwich with one located to the east of the peninsula and another near the Cutty Sark.
Enderby Wharf
Enderby Wharf is set to include 564 homes and is located to lower-rise blocks to the south and 1,500 homes approved to the north at Morden Wharf.
The council’s planning department have opted to allocate “£1,680,000 and 50% of maintenance/ongoing costs for a period of 30 years” from Enderby Wharf developer contributions alongside:
“An additional passenger guarantee contribution to Thames Clipper at £6 per passenger below 75,000 per annum for period of first 3 years (max £225,000per annum).”
Combined with Morden Wharf a total of £3.18 million is mentioned.
The report states that this is short Thames Clipper’s estimate of £4-£4.5 million being required. Due to that the Boord Street development would see also £258,044.28 allocated with other funding then to be allocated from elsewhere.
Boord Street plans include 352 homes and 340 student rooms. This is further away from the Thames but an “Active Travel Assessment” looking into the quality of routes on foot and cycle to nearby services such as schools, rail, doctors and shops managed to almost entirely ignore the worst routes out of 14 studied which was rather odd.
Funding priority
Those sums far exceed totals allocate for improved walking and cycling links despite far more people expected to use “active travel” methods to reach nearby areas.
Sums for the pier at Enderby Wharf totalling £2,355,000 plus a commitment to 50 per cent ongoing costs for 30 years compares with £711,270 for NHS services and £250,000 for active travel.
As much as utilising the river more is a worthy aspiration, with so many poor streets all over Greenwich peninsula and street that are far from good enough on foot and cycle across the peninsula, is another river pier the priority if used by far fewer than those who walk?
Perhaps it is – but it’s taking a large chunk of the pie. I can’t help but feel what would serve the greater good. I’d be interested to know your thoughts which you can leave below.
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What capacity do Thames Clippers have spare? Surely no more than a couple of dozen people would use it.
Adding new piers here, there and everywhere is also not going to make it appealing. It’s a lovely journey but borderline many days for me given cost and slower speeds. When I read of ever more proposed piers I can’t help but think that slowing an already slow means of transport is not enticing passengers from further downstream.
There do seem to be ever more. One is proposed at Charlton for up to 8k homes there. Another possibly at Deptford for Convoys Wharf.
Also another at Blackwall yard. The boat will be zig-zagging like mad. https://waterfront.blackwallyard.co.uk/
Makes you wonder who TfL are building their infrastructure for these days: is it the regular Londoner or the people living in posh multimillion pound flats on exclusive new housing developments?
See also: the Northern line extension to Nine Elms/Battersea Power Station.
TfL aren’t building it surely as the money is derived from new developments to the council who are choosing to spend it here. Thames Clippers also aren’t part of TfL. It does have the whiff of helping property developers in adverts rather than a mass transport solution for the area. Ferries are nice but niche. Surprising priority for an authority if funding is limited.
As someone who now resides near the proposed ferry stop it’d be a nice thing but I’d like some better walking links thanks. Getting to NG tube is not nice at all.
Do you know whatever happened to the planned upgrade to the existing North Greenwich pier? I believe Knight Dragon bought the rights to it and submitted plans, but nothing happened in the 3 years since.
I think the priority should be Improving existing roads, crossings lighting and public realm in the area to make it more pleasant and safe for pedestrians. Along with Improving local bus services in the area. As many developments have no or little parking spaces available.
Hope they make the river embankment route into a proper, wide, and well-lit pedestrian and cycleway the whole way from the Naval College to the O2.
And south eastern seriously need to up the number of trains running along the line to London Bridge.
1000s of new flats built along this line in recent years. And 4 trains an hour in the evening. Not enough