HC Deb 12 March 1999 vol 327 cc387-8W
Mr. Austin

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what proposals he has evaluated for ferry services from(a) Instones Wharf, (b) Woolwich Arsenal and (c) Gallions Reach to the Millennium Dome; what discussions he has had with ferry operators; and if he will make a statement; [73532]

(2) what estimate he has made of the potential numbers of people who could be transported by water to the Millennium Dome from points to the east of the Greenwich Peninsula; [73534]

(3) what proposals he has evaluated for the provision of piers at (a) Albert Lock and (b) Barking to serve ferry operators taking passengers to the Dome. [73533]

Janet Anderson

[holding answer 1 March 1999]: The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) is constructing a new pier at the Dome site which is due for completion in July this year. The NMEC issued a tender document inviting bids for river services which identified routes from central London, from historic Greenwich and from points to the east of the Greenwich Peninsula. However, no bids were received for services from points to the east of Greenwich; only bids for the central London and historic Greenwich routes were received. Licences for those routes have now been awarded.

As part of its initial park and ride strategy NMEC did consider a pier option at Barking. However, no bids were received for river services from this area and the NMEC concluded that a new, temporary car park facility at Barking was not required to meet its park and ride objectives. NMEC is planning a park and ride, temporary car park at Woolwich which will be linked to the Dome by shuttle bus as the most efficient, flexible and economic means of accessing the Dome.

The response to the NMEC's tender processes so far indicate that the market does not consider a river boat service from the east of the peninsula to be viable on the basis of the likely number of users. The NMEC cannot fund or underwrite the costs of such a service but the Company would be happy to consider any fresh, financially viable proposal to accommodate at its pier a commercial river service bringing Dome visitors from points east of the Greenwich peninsula.

The number of visitors such a service could bring to the Dome would depend on the frequency of the service and the size of the craft but a boat service from a car park with 1,000 spaces would provide a potential demand of up to 3,000 people on a full capacity day at the Dome.