It has now been over a month since the government lifted restrictions in England, and we are hopefully moving into the final stages of the pandemic. With everyone’s attention now turning to London’s recovery, we invited a diverse range of members to join our annual River Thames event to learn more about how the Thames can promote London’s recovery, hosted at the offices of Tideway, located next to the river.
Andy Mitchell CBE (Tideway CEO) kicked off proceedings by highlighting the progress that Tideway have made with the construction of their tunnel, emphasising the measures they have introduced to mitigate the impact that construction can create, notably using the river to transport materials away from their sites, with a one tonne barge capable of removing 50 lorries from our already congested roads (to find out more, please see this video).
We then had a joint presentation from Transport for London and the Port of London Authority, with both speakers reflecting on how difficult 2020 had been for everyone but also pointing to strategies like Thames Vision 2050 which will offer all stakeholders a chance to engage in the future direction of the river.
These presentations were followed by a panel discussion with representatives from Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, Battersea Power Station Development Company, and Forth Ports Limited. Chaired by our Director of Policy and Strategy, the panellists had a wide-ranging discussion that addressed issues such as:
- A need for the river to be championed: for example, some on the panel suggested there needed to be a dedicated river ambassador to promote passenger services.
- Promoting collaboration: what came across clearly was the need for all stakeholders to work collectively to overcome shared challenges.
- Embracing innovation: examples discussed included harnessing hydrogen power to fuel environmentally friendly vessels and introducing flexible ticketing to meet the new demands of passengers.
- The Thames Freeport designation: the freeport decision was cited as a huge opportunity to enhance the economic potential of the region.
The river is already helping the Government meet its net zero ambitions as well as driving economic opportunities and expanding access to culture, and this event showed how much more can be achieved if we highlight the full potential of the Thames to politicians and the opportunities it can provide for all Londoners.