'Empty and Soulless' Embankment Slammed by Councillor | |
Mark Justin makes comments at meeting to discuss Putney Pier applications
March 23, 2023 The River Thames in the borough has been slammed as “empty, soulless” and “underused” by a councillor who claims the capital’s flagship waterway is in need of more piers and fast. Conservative Mark Justin who represents Nine Elms, speaking at a Wandsworth Council planning meeting on Tuesday (21 March), raised concerns about the lack of traffic on the river. Discussing the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race on 26 March, he said, “The world will be watching Putney this weekend on the Sunday. There won’t be a single vantage point accessible between 4pm and 5pm – the river itself will be full of a flotilla of boats all following the University Boat Race and the world will think: ‘Wow isn’t the Thames busy.’ “But on Monday it will revert to be an empty, soulless, underused river that it sadly is. We actually need more piers and bigger piers.” His comments came after plans were debated to extend Putney Pier. Boat Company Livett’s Launches had applied (2022/1280) to build a 74-metre extension and upgrade what is there already. The existing section of the pier was planned to be used as a dedicated berth for river bus services. There would also be an extra berth for other passenger vessels and light freight, and further berths for visitor moorings. Speaking about the plans, Cllr Justin said, “This proposal is flawed and we all know that but it’s a shame that we can’t send it back and get a better proposal because I wouldn’t like to go down in history as someone who stopped the Thames and piers.” Councillor Justin added the Thames is about to enter into a “golden era” when the Super Sewer is completed. He said the “water quality will improve and we’ll wish there were more piers”. Council officers had recommended refusal, with a report concluding the extension would “overwhelm the current pier” and “harm views of the river” despite the benefits of expanding future services and investing in the existing pier. A statement with the application said, “The proposal would be visually insignificant and in context. It would neither weaken nor block important views or the settings of heritage assets.” The application also received 248 objections which are summarised in a council report. Comments included concerns the proposal would “make the waterway more congested, polluted and obstruct various river sports”, “destroy sporting communities that use this stretch of the river” and “interfere with the view currently possible of the start of the Boat Race”. The application for a pier extension was later rejected by Wandsworth Council’s planning committee. Elen Richards, team manager in planning and transport at the council, said, “A lot of works would be required on the existing pier to bring it up to standard, especially in terms of accessibility and the gradient of the bridge. Further extension of Putney Pier, therefore, hasn’t been demonstrated as being justified in terms of demand for use, for freight and so on.”
The council has given its approval to an application (2022/2916) by Thames Clippers for a new pier for the
river bus service including two dolphin piles, a fixed bridge and pontoon. The bridge will be integrated into the Thames
Tideway Structure. Charlotte Lillywhite - Local Democracy Reporter
|