§ Lord Mountevansasked Her Majesty's Government:
What discussions they have had with private sector operators about the future of commercial passenger river services in London.
The Minister of State, Department of Transport (The Earl of Caithness)We have today announced the establishment of a River Thames Working Group to undertake a thorough study of the use of the river for transport. The Terms of Reference for the study are:
and we have invited the Port of London Authority, London First, the London Docklands Development Corporation, the London Planning Advisory Committee and London Transport to be members.
- 1. Establish what present use is made of the tidal part of the River Thames upstream of Southend and Sheerness for transport purposes and by whom;
- 2. Establish what constraints presently deter or inhibit transport operators from developing those uses;
- 3. Establish the likely potential for the development of transport use of the river, taking into consideration the interests of other river users, the views of riparian Boroughs, its linkage to the existing transport network and all relevant safety issues raised in the Hayes Report on river safety;
WA53 - 4. Consider how far it is in the overall interest to develop the transport usage of the river taking into account the environmental, leisure, amenity and planning aspects of any such development;
- 5. Identify the scope for private sector development which would assist the achievement of the river's transport potential for freight and passenger traffic;
We will also be consulting a broad range of bodies with responsibility for or interests in the river. We would also like to hear from other people who have proposals for increased use of the river.