Mayor Sadiq Khan is forming a new stakeholder body to advise him on policies relating to the River Thames, including its use a transport route, supporting its status as a tourist destination and tackling pollution.
The new Thames and London Waterways Forum will replace two separate bodies, the River Concordat and the London Waterways Commission, and include representatives from City Hall, TfL, PLA, the Canal and River Trust, the Environment Agency and London Councils.
Val Shawcross, the deputy mayor for transport, will chair the forum which City Hall briefing papers say “will consider and coordinate future strategic issues and activities on the river and London’s waterways.”
Advice provided by the group will feed into the Mayor’s planning guidance, as well as his environmental and transport strategies.
According to the papers, “there will be a particular focus” on increasing the river’s use by passenger transport, options to reduce road-based freight, how the Thames “can support a shift away from car use, growth (particularly in East London) and tourism.”
Work will also examine the river’s recreational use, as well as ways to enhance and protect its heritage, and options to tackle pollution.
