The importance of river, rail and
road crossing connections has
been highlighted in our first ever Port of London Infrastructure Group meeting. Shipping minister John Hayes joined deputy London mayor (for transport) Val Shawcross and more than 30 business leaders and politicians for the event at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, London, which stressed the need to ‘unlock’ growth forecast by the Thames Vision.

It’s a development framework for the tidal Thames, which shows that port trade could increase by as much as 30 million tonnes (to 80 million) over the next 20 years. Last year, trade on the tidal Thames increased by more than 10% to 50 million tonnes.

Hosted by Thurrock MP Jackie
Doyle Price, the inaugural Port infrastructure meeting at RICS, London, also involved operators
of major terminals and representatives from Highways England, Network Rail and TFL, among others.

John Hayes said: “Ports play a
vital role in the UK economy as the gateway for our exports and we
want to see them flourish.

“Improving road, rail and river transport links will significantly
boost the connections between
our ports and key markets.”

PLA chief executive Robin
Mortimer revealed that the first meeting focused on the Lower Thames Crossing, the effect of Brexit on river trade, as well as
the UK’s freight strategy. He said that the Vision’s could help

make the Port of London
the biggest it has ever been.

“Terminal operators are committed to investing in new facilities and ships to achieve that goal. The role of
the infrastructure meeting is to take a long term look at the landside and river connections
to get goods from terminals
to customers and from manufacturers to the port
for export.”

The waste recycling plant at Victoria, operated by a third
party, will be closed as part of
the plans, ridding it off many thousands of annual lorry movements.

The temporary office buildings and parking areas will also be removed. In addition, the Thames Path, which runs along the wharf front, will be segregated from the site, resurfaced and extended to a width of six metres.

Hanson spokesman David Weeks said: “These changes will

provide significant visual, air quality and efficiency improvements and reduce heavy goods traffic by over 100 vehicles a day. They will also allow us to make better use of the river to transport raw materials and finished products.”

When work is completed, the concrete plant will be making structures for use in major projects including Thames Tideway Tunnel, Silvertown Road Tunnel and Crossrail 2.

A wharf that’s been safeguarded for industrial use is set for a £12 million upgrade.

Victoria Deep Water Terminal, on the
tidal Thames near Greenwich, will see cash invested by building materials firm Hanson, after a planning application was submitted to the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The plans include three new concrete ‘batching’ plants and the
widening of the nearby section of the Thames Path, to make it more accessible to cyclists and walkers.

The Victoria Deep Water Terminal on
the north-west side of the Greenwich peninsula, off Tunnel Avenue, is an important strategic site earmarked as an industrial wharf in the London and Greenwich local plans.

Two concrete batching plants on the
site will be replaced by three new plants. The new building will also house raw materials used for concrete production – namely sand and gravel.