Greenwich cruise ship terminal plans withdrawn

Plans for a cruise ship terminal on the Thames in south-east London have been withdrawn by developers.

Permission for the Enderby Wharf scheme in Greenwich was granted in 2015, but Greenwich Council ended its backing over pollution concerns.

Campaigners claimed a ship docked at the port would have emitted the same amount of pollution as 600 lorries.

Morgan Stanley, the firm behind the project, said it had “listened to comments” from the community.

The plans for the terminal would have allowed large cruise ships to keep their engines running to power themselves while they were docked.

Campaign group No Toxic Cruise Port for London (NTCPFL) claimed this would badly affect households living alongside the Thames.

Laura Eyres, one of the lead campaigners, said “families living on both sides of the river in Greenwich and Tower Hamlets will be breathing a sigh of relief” after the proposal was withdrawn.

Greenwich Council had originally backed the port plan but called for a new proposal after increasing numbers of people, including the mayor of London, spoke out against the project.

In a letter to the council the bank said any proposals “would no longer include a cruise terminal at Enderby Wharf” and it was exploring “options to meet the needs of the council and the local community.”

At a council meeting on Tuesday, leader Dan Thorpe said he was “pushing Morgan Stanley… for a greater number of affordable homes” as well as “a new municipal park”.