East London wharf set for return to cargo handling
A strategically important protected wharf in East London is set to return to operation after its acquisition by the Port of London Authority (PLA), the company said in its press release.
Peruvian Wharf in Newham will be developed as a centre for low-carbon transport of building materials in East London. The wharf has been protected since 1997 under the Mayor of London’s policy to safeguard strategically placed wharves for cargo handling. The PLA completed the acquisition of the site after a long battle over the wharf’s planning status, subsequently acquiring the site when the former landowner didn’t reactivate it for cargo-handling.
The PLA has paid more than £3 million for Peruvian Wharf. They will initially complete a new access road to the site, prior to letting it on a long-term lease to the Brett Group, the independent construction and building materials group. Brett will develop an integrated terminal on the site, which is expected to be operational late in 2017.
Fifty wharves on the Thames have been 'safeguarded' for cargo-handling use by the Secretary of State for Transport, following the advice of the Mayor of London and the PLA. Peruvian Wharf is one of three currently vacant wharves promoted within the PLA’s recently published Thames Vision, to be brought back into long-term use. The others are Hurlingham Wharf in Hammersmith & Fulham (currently being used for the Tideway project) and Orchard Wharf in Tower Hamlets.
