The River Thames is being squandered in a mad scramble to attract the highest bidder for riverside development with absolutely no regard to London’s needs.
This is the view of George Nicholson in a foreword to a prospectus(*) for the London River Authority, a new non-statutory federation of river interests. Membership of the LRA, of which Mr Nicholson is chairman, includes borough councils, river users, trade unions, and recreation and educational establishments.
In recent years, Mr Nicholson says, the rights of Londoners to have a say in the development of the capital’s waterway have been drastically curtailed, “so much so that even elected councillors have been left with little more than a cursory say over the future of the areas they live in and represent.”
The LRA wants to see the restoration of some dignity and pride in London. The river has a massive potential as a growth point for industrial investment and a resource for job creation, the LRA prospectus points out. Despite recent changes in world trade routes, the Port of London is still Britain’s largest port. But instead of “unbridled speculation along the riverside”, residential and commercial developments must be balanced with industrial and river related activities.
The Thames is a great public asset which offers unique and educational and recreational facilities, the LRA says. It is essential that public access is improved: not just from the hinterland to the river but also from the river to the shore. This means more moorings for private craft and preservation of the steps leading to the foreshore.
London cannot afford to lose sight of the huge economic and civic potential of its rivers, waterways and port.
(*) London’s River and Port — a Case for Action. London River Authority, 4 Stratford Office Village, 4 Romford Road, London E15 4EA.
