London’s new mayor Sadiq Khan has promised to work with Greenwich Council and the borough’s residents to try to find a resolution over the controversial Enderby Wharf Cruise Liner terminal.
In the run up to the mayoral election Mr Khan praised the East Greenwich residents in their campaign for cleaner air, and pledged to help find a cleaner solution to the offshore terminal.
Today, less than two weeks into his role as mayor, he said he is still committed to working with residents and Labour led Greenwich Council which approved the planning decision last year.
He said: “I do want to speak to the council and residents who are concerned about the consequences of this massive cruise liner.
“I want to sit down with them and work out what we can do.”
The issue of clean air and the ever increasing level of pollution in the city was a focal point of many mayoral campaigns, including Mr Khan’s.
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All the candidates from the major parties, including Conservative Zac Goldsmith, Lib Dem Caroline Pidgeon and the Green Party’s Sian Berry, made election promises to rethink the Enderby Wharf development.
Mr Khan added: “I think neither the council, nor the residents of the local businesses want there to be this massive cruise liner putting out bad fumes in the area.
“I’m looking forward to working with them, and seeing if we can get some resolution.”
The decision to grant planning permission for Enderby Wharf will be scrutinised at the High Court later this year, after an East Greenwich residents was successful in pushing for a judicial review.
After a five-hour hearing last month a High Court judge agreed there was a case to be heard for a judicial review, after the anonymous resident started the proceedings with the help of an environmental law firm.
Sadiq Khan on the mayoral campaign trail.
The residents are pushing for an onshore power supply and a pollution-free terminal, because they argue there has been inadequate assessment of the air pollution which will be caused by the development.
A crowdfunding campaign to fund the legal proceedings has reached £16,000 since it was started in March and the judicial review is set to be heard at the High Court on July 12 and 13.
A spokeswoman for Greenwich Council said: “The Council has always followed due process relating to this planning application and this includes the independent monitoring of air quality.
“We believe that our decision making process was correct and will robustly defend it.
“As proceedings have now been issued, it would not appropriate to comment further at this time.”
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