If you live in or near London and you feel the city is not getting its fair share of the cruise market, you will undoubtedly be delighted to hear that a brand new passenger cruise terminal has been approved for the city. 

Boris Johnson, London’s mayor, made this announcement recently. The planned terminal was first mentioned in the press about six months ago; however, a group of local residents voiced opposition to the plan, saying that fumes from the ships’ fuel will negatively affect air quality in the area. 

Sir Edward Lister, the city’s deputy mayor for planning, said: “We have worked with the local authority and the developer to ensure the new terminal and surrounding infrastructure will meet the needs of thousands of tourists coming to the city each year.” The terminal will be near the iconic Cutty Sark and the historic Old Royal Navy College, right in the centre of London.

 It is scheduled to open in 2017 and will be able to accommodate cruise ships up to 850 feet in length. Initial projections are that around 55 ships per year will make use of the facilities. 

New retail outlets, restaurants and residential housing are also planned for the surrounding area. Councillor Danny Thorpe, Greenwich Council’s cabinet member for transport and regeneration, said the council realised that the effect on air quality concerned many locals, but the measures proposed by the council to address this issue were independently scrutinised and found to be adequate