High Court Decision - EGRA Statement
East Greenwich Residents’ Association statement on the judicial review High Court decision for the cruise liner terminal at Enderby Wharf 05 August 2016.
“We are disappointed that the High Court has ruled in favour of Greenwich Council over the cruise liner terminal. A decision which allows ships to burn 700 litres of diesel an hour, the equivalent 688 HGVs running their engines, in a part of London that already exceeds legal pollution limits and in a city that has the worst air quality in Europe is morally bankrupt. An expected 11,000 Londoners will die this year from diseases related to poor air quality and, for people in close vicinity of this highly polluting development, this decision will seem like a death sentence.
"The alternative is a clean cruise liner port using 21st century shore-side power from readily available local power sources and this is what we have campaigned for. We were told Enderby Wharf is the only feasible site in the whole of London where a cruise liner port can be located, so Greenwich Council had every opportunity to hold out for residents and make on-shore power a planning permission condition. But Morgan Stanley and Barratt Homes claimed the cost was prohibitive despite the substantial profits due to be made from the sale of hundreds of homes on the terminal site which has a risibly low level of affordable housing. Needless to say, the public has never seen the figures which bear out Greenwich’s conclusion that the investment in clean air cannot be justified for this project.
"Greenwich says it will invest in monitoring and improving air quality yet the council continues to back aggressive and polluting development. The very real threat to Londoners’ health posed by the cruise liner terminal has been roundly condemned by all four parties at City Hall. Even the previous Mayor of London, Boris Johnson agreed that these ships are toxic.
"This (royal) borough continues to ride roughshod over residents' health and wishes; it is time for political intervention and for the Mayor to deliver on his promise to resolve this issue by bringing all parties together to build a clean cruise liner terminal for London. We also look to the Government to support us on this issue and to act in the interests of protecting Londoners’ health on air quality issues.
"The river also needs to be included in the Mayor’s Ultra Low Emission Zone where the polluter pays, not local residents who may well be liable for footing the bill through their council tax if Greenwich breaches legal air pollution limits through the cruise liner and other developments.
"In the meantime, we will continue our campaign for clean on-shore power and to raise awareness on this issue. We wonder whether the inhabitants and prospective purchasers of homes in the riverside Enderby Wharf development realise they will be sitting on the top of a filthy diesel chimney stack.
"We would like to thank our local MPs Matthew Pennycook and Jim Fitzpatrick as well as the Mayor and Assembly Members Caroline Russell, Caroline Pidgeon and Andrew Boff for supporting us to date and we will carry on the fight."
Link to the Enderby Wharf petition which is now calling on Sadiq Khan to resolve the issue.
