London City Cruise Port has at last got the go-ahead from planners and will welcome cruise ships in 2018/19 to open a new chapter in Greenwich’s maritime history. 

Maritime Greenwich is a World Heritage Site with naval connections dating to 1694 when the Royal Hospital for Seamen was founded as a memorial to the nation’s beloved Queen Mary.

The UNESCO site is a symbol of British naval, scientific and artistic endeavour from the 17th
to late 19th centuries – and in the 21st-century cruise passengers will able to step ashore at Enderby Wharf, on the River Thames, into the heart of Greenwich.

Although small ships occasionally moor near Tower Bridge, London City Cruise Port will be a purpose-built terminal to accommodate up to 55 vessels a year.

It will be the capital’s first new terminal since the closure of the Royal Docks in 1981 and is expected to become a key destination when it opens in 2018/19. Mid-size ships, up to 230 metres in length, will comfortably berth at the port.

Kate O’Hara, CEO at London City Cruise Port, confirmed planning permission had been granted and said she was ‘delighted’ that work could now get under way.

She said: “The cruise terminal has tremendous support from the trade and its opening is eagerly awaited by the cruise operators.

She added: “As Interested Parties in the Judicial Review claim against The Royal Borough of Greenwich in connection with the Enderby Place planning permission, the scheme developers Enderby Riverside and Enderby Isle note the judgement issued by Justice Collins on July 12 and 13, 2016, allowing the continued regeneration of Enderby Wharf in accordance with the planning permissions granted for the site.”

Barrie Allen, CEO of Visit Greenwich, said: “London City Cruise Port will have a positive impact on the global image of Greenwich and London. The new facility is a perfect fit with Greenwich’s rich maritime heritage and positioning as the ‘home of time’.

He continued: ”The additional tourism revenue will add to our 18 million visitors per year who help to create a £ 1.3 billion visitor economy.”

Passengers will need more than a day to view Greenwich’s riches and a high-quality on­site hotel will be built to make pre and post-extensions an attractive option.

The restored Cutty Sark is one of the best-loved landmarks; the Queen’s House, designed by Inigo Jones, was the first Palladian building in England; the National Maritime Museum’s exhibitions explore life at sea from the history of the Royal Navy to the golden era of cruise holidays.

Greenwich Park backs onto the museum and surrounds the Royal Observatory, the first purpose-designed scientific building in London. For more than 250 years it was the national centre for research into astronomy and timekeeping. Its navigational role led to the Greenwich Meridian Longitude 0° being agreed as Prime Meridian of the World in 1884.