Policy SI 15 — Water transport

Policy SI 15 Water transport A Development proposals should protect and enhance existing passenger transport piers and their capacity. New piers will be supported in line with the Port of London Authority and Transport for London’s Pier Strategy. The necessary provision of moorings, waste and sewage facilities for passenger vessels should be provided. B Existing boatyard sites should be protected and development proposals to increase their capacity or range of services should be supported. Alternative use of a boatyard site should only be accepted if the facilities of the site are re-provided at a site with equivalent or enhanced facilities in Greater London. Proposals for a new strategic-scale boatyard site, at an appropriate site within London, will be supported. C Development proposals to facilitate an increase in the amount of freight transported on London’s waterways should be supported. D The Mayor will keep the network of safeguarded wharves under regular review. Boroughs should protect existing locations and identify new locations for additional waterborne freight. There may be opportunities to consolidate wharves as part of strategic land use change, in particular, within Opportunity Areas; these will need to ensure that the existing and potential capacity and operability of the safeguarded wharves is retained and where possible expanded. E Safeguarded wharves should only be used for waterborne freight-handling use, including consolidation centres. The redevelopment of safeguarded wharves for other land uses should only be accepted if the wharf is no longer viable or capable of being made viable for waterborne freight-handling (see viability testing criteria). Temporary uses should only be allowed where they do not preclude the wharf being reused for waterborne freight-handling uses. F Development proposals which increase the use of safeguarded wharves for waterborne freight transport, especially the reactivation of wharves which are currently not handling freight by water, will be supported. G Development proposals on a safeguarded wharf that include the provision of a water freight use below or alongside another land use, must ensure that the water freight use is secured long-term, that the development is designed so that there are no conflicts of use and that the freight-handling capacity of the wharf is not reduced. H Development proposals adjacent to or opposite safeguarded wharves (including vacant wharves) should be designed to minimise the potential for conflicts of use and disturbance, in line with the Agent of Change principle. I Development proposals close to navigable waterways should maximise water transport for bulk materials during demolition and construction phases. 9.15.1 The Mayor will work with relevant partners to increase the number of people travelling by river on passenger and tourist services in line with the 20 million by 2035 patronage target outlined in the Port of London Authority (PLA) Thames Vision. This builds on significant passenger trip increases in recent years. 9.15.2 The PLA and Transport for London’s Pier Strategy will promote extending river services to East London and its growth areas to encourage modal shift to the river. This will relieve road congestion and better integrate other forms of transport such as walking and cycling. 9.15.3 Boatyards are essential for servicing passenger and other vessels. Beyond the existing strategic-scale boatyard at Bay Wharf, Greenwich, research indicates that a further facility with the capability to repair and service large commercial boats is required. This is to avoid operators having to get their vessels serviced and repaired far beyond the Thames Estuary at the East Coast or even in the near continent. 9.15.4 Water transport is recognised as one of the most sustainable modes for freight , particularly for low-value, non-time-critical bulk movements. Water transport already reduces the number of lorry movements on London’s roads and their associated negative impacts on Londoners. Greater use of water transport has the ability to remove further lorries from London’s roads. The Mayor will promote positive action to achieve this, including consolidation and the use of compulsory purchase powers where necessary, to bring inactive sites into use or to optimise the use of under-utilised sites. Appropriate access to the highway network and relevant freight-handling infrastructure such as jetties should also be protected. 9.15.5 Many of London’s river freight wharves are located in areas of high demand and high value for other land uses. A network of wharves is protected from redevelopment by Safeguarding Directions. The Mayor will regularly review wharf safeguarding to ensure the changing need for waterborne freight is addressed. Where the transition of wharves from waterborne freight to other uses is acceptable, the re-use of those wharves for waterborne public transport use should be considered. 9.15.6 The redevelopment of safeguarded wharves should only be accepted if a wharf is no longer viable or capable of being made viable for waterborne freight-handling uses. The only exception to this would be for a strategic proposal of essential benefit for London, which cannot be planned for and delivered on any other site in Greater London. 9.15.7 Where a development proposal for a safeguarded wharf includes land uses unrelated to the handling of waterborne freight, the design of the development must not result in conflicts of use between wharf operations and the other land uses, nor constrain the long-term use and viability of the safeguarded wharf. The freight-handling capacity of the wharf must not be reduced and the reactivation of the wharf for waterborne freight handling must be delivered and secured for the long-term in order for proposals to be deemed acceptable. 9.15.8 Factors to be considered in assessing the viability of a safeguarded wharf under Part E of this policy include: its size, shape, navigaLondon Plan Policy SI 15 · official source →