Messages of Support

Over the last 10 years, Britain's waterways have been transformed through public private partnerships. £6 billion of waterside investment is making a significant contribution to the regeneration of our towns and cities. Prescott Lock is yet another example of an old industrial asset, once dilapidated and largely ignored, being revitalised to help create more sustainable communities - and a more sustainable London Olympic Games. This is an excellent project. And I like the name too.
Rt Hon John Prescott MP
Deputy Prime Minister

The restoration of the neglected waterways of the Lea Valley will be vital to achieving our commitment to make London 2012 environmentally sustainable. The new lock at Prescott Channel will make a significant contribution to the quality of life in the area as well as helping to deliver our aspiration to transport 50 per cent of all construction materials, by weight, to the Olympic site via rail or the waterways, considerably relieving congestion on the road network. This is what the Games can do: the sustainable regeneration of a long neglected area and the creation of a lasting improvement in the environment for generations to come.
Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP
Olympics Minister

I am committed to ensuring that the 2012 London Games are the greenest games ever and deliver a social, environmental and economic legacy long after they are over. The plans for this new lock are another example of the many concrete steps we are already taking to deliver on these commitments. This exciting project will shift construction traffic from lorry to barge, reducing carbon emissions and traffic congestion, but will also provide a lasting legacy helping the regeneration of East London .
Ken Livingstone
Mayor of London

This is a tremendously exciting project and one that British Waterways is proud to be taking forward. What gives Prescott Lock particular poignancy is that it not only supports the sustainable regeneration of east London , but also enables the use of age-old water transport to help solve 21st century environmental challenges. I would like to thank the project partners for their steadfast support in bringing this scheme forward and to pay tribute to the huge number of individuals and organisations who have backed it along the way.
Tony Hales
Chairman of British Waterways

This project provides an exceptional opportunity to rejuvenate the waterways in the heart of the Lower Lea Valley . As the lead regeneration agency for this area we're very happy to be one of the majority funders for a scheme which is an early step in our vision to create a new world-class park north from the Olympic Park up to the Lea Valley Regional Park and south down to the River Thames. Together we'll stimulate further regeneration and improvements to the environment to bring a wide range of benefits to local communities.
Peter Andrews
Chief Executive - London Thames Gateway Development Corporation

Today's announcement is an important step forward in improving the waterways for 2012 and beyond. The new lock will enhance the water quality in the Olympic Park and help enable the much-needed regeneration of the riverwalls.
David Higgins
Chief Executive of the ODA

Prescott Lock is an essential project that will allow tens of thousands of tons of construction material to be transported by barge. This will mean a significant amount of freight transferred from roads to the river making local roads less congested and reducing CO2 emissions considerably. This is just one example of the TfL Freight Strategy for London to make sustainable freight transport more possible.
Peter Hendy
Transport for London Commissioner

The Department for Transport welcomes the construction of a lock in the Prescott Channel and very much supports the aim to transport construction materials by water to the Olympic site. The project should enable the removal of lorry journeys from UK roads, thereby contributing to the government's agenda of developing sustainable transport solutions.
Dr Stephen Ladyman MP
Transport Minister

I am delighted that this major project is going ahead. Defra is working to make the 2012 Olympic Games green and sustainable, and Prescott Lock is a key element of that effort. This development will breathe new life into and unlock the potential of a neglected asset, bringing huge environmental, economic and social benefits. Britain's inland waterways are important, which is why this government has put record levels of funding into restoring and reviving hundreds of miles of derelict and abandoned canals and rivers after decades of underinvestment.
Barry Gardiner MP
Waterways Minister

This is a really exciting project which will help to revitalise the Lea Valley .As well as providing an environmentally friendly solution to some of the construction traffic issues associated with hosting the 2012 Games, it promises to provide an attractive river corridor for generations of residents and visitors to enjoy.
Sir Robin Wales
Mayor of Newham

I am pleased that the Lower Lee Valley is at long last being regenerated and the waterways can fulfil their full potential. Restoring the waterways offer a vast array of opportunities. The Prescott Lock is a key element of this restoration and provides a sustainable transport link for the Olympics and beyond. We are pleased to be working with British Waterways and others to achieve improvements in water quality, flood risk management and the opportunities for people and wildlife to enjoy the rivers through the Lower Lee Valley .
Robert Runcie
Thames Regional Director - Environment Agency

By providing a sustainable transport option for the Olympic Park the Prescott Lock is an important first-step in improving the environmental performance of the Lower Lea Valley. Natural England is looking forward to working with our colleagues in British Waterways to develop and implement enhancements to the ecology and accessibility of the rest of the river corridor which will have benefits for both people and wildlife.
Alison Barnes
London Regional Director - Natural England

The Prescott Lock will be one part of the lasting legacy of the Olympic Games in London . Today it is criti cal to the realisation of the vision for bulk materials for the development of the Olympic facilities to be taken to the site by water. In this way it will make a si-gnificant contribution to the objective of the Games being carbon neutral. For the future it is proof positive that the Thames and its waterways are a viable means of transport for London and an integral part of the logistic chain for the Capital. PLA congratulates British Waterways and its partners in taking this project forward.
Richard Everitt
Chief Executive - Port of London Authority

As the strategic body with responsibility for providing leisure, recreation, sports and nature conservation in the Regional Park the Lee Valley Regional Authority fully supports and welcomes British Waterways' work on Prescott Channel. It will make the Lower Lea Valley more attractive to visitors and residents by maintaining a constant water level through the Olympic Park and enable the waterways to become a focus for the future extension of the Regional Park to the River Thames. The scheme will also become a feature in its own right in the Bromley by Bow area and help draw in visitors to Three Mills and its surroundings.
Shaun Dawson
Chief Executive - Lee Valley Regional Park Authority

It is our view that the lock within the Prescott Channel is an essential piece of infrastructure that will generate a revival of freight transport using East London 's existing waterways. The benefits that the new lock will bring are both commercial and environmental. The lock will enable increased and larger barge movements along the waterways removing unnecessary lorry journeys. Increased barge movements will reduce emissions, less lorry journeys and the associated issues of vibration, road accidents and congestion.
Dr Heather Leggate
Director - Sea & Water

IWAAC is backing this key infrastructure investment for two reasons. Firstly because it wants the improved waterways of the Lea Valley to make a significant contribution towards achieving the most sustainable Olympic Games in history, both in the construction phases and in the setting and operation of the Games and, secondly, because it sees a restored and revived network of waterways as integral to securing a positive long term legacy of the Games for local communities in the area.
John Edmonds
Chair - Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council

The new Prescott Lock will open up a neglected London waterway and I am confident that much development and investment will follow in its footsteps between now until 2012.
Stephen O'Brien
Joint President - London First

It is great to hear that the Prescott Lock and Water Control Structure project is now to go ahead, this is very encouraging news. It is a very important piece of the jigsaw in achieving our shared aim of the development of a Water City in East London . Our thanks and congratulations go to all who have worked so hard to make this project possible. Another step in bringing the waterways back to life.
Andrew Mawson OBE
Water City Group

Farrells have relished the challenge to work with British Waterways on the planned water control structures at Three Mills. We see this project as hugely important in the wider London context as it enables a gateway to the Olympics. The restoration programme is one which we fully support, since it is essential that we make the river navigable for people. By introducing a landscape intervention - a landscape ribbon - art, different surfaces, textures, trees and lights can all be incorporated. The overall impact is to provide a striking sense of arrival to the Olympic Village. Our masterplan concept celebrates the importance of the water control structures, which will be amongst the first built structures leading the regeneration of the River Lea Valley .
Sir Terry Farrell
Farrells

The idea of impounding the waters behind the Prescott Lock has been discussed for many years. The project brings two big benefits for the area - a navigable waterway that can be used for leisure and business, and an improved environment. The project forms an important element of the regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley and will be a major boost for my constituents and a part of the offer that will attract new jobs and major new housing developments for local people and for London .
John Biggs AM
Member for City and East - London Assembly

I am delighted that British Waterways is taking these steps to improve river access in, and around, the Olympic Park. It is an extremely exciting project and I wish it every success.
Hugh Robertson MP
Shadow Olympic Minister

I think this is excellent news for the natural habitat and wildlife of the canal after the Olympics. It is good news for those who use of the canal for leisure, and for those of who plan evening walks along its bank. A boat trip along Prescott Lock with other MPs highlighted the importance of this area for wildlife, and its enormous economic potential for water transport. In its bid to host the 2012 Olympics the London team pledged its commitment to be the greenest ever, embracing "energy, waste, water, biodiversity, cultural heritage and air quality. " The Prescott Lock decision would not have happened without the Olympics, and will be a real bonus for the quality of life in this area. This is part of a real Olympic legacy, and its short, medium and long-term significance cannot be exaggerated.
Lyn Brown MP
Member for West Ham

One of the many promised benefits of the Olympics was the improvements to our waterways. It is welcome news that British Waterways and Defra have given the green light to this significant scheme. The waterways in and around Hackney Wick should be one of Hackney's great amenities but for too long they have been neglected. Children at every Hackney school I visit tell me they want to see improvements to our environment and in particular a green Olympics. This is a step in the right direction in removing traffic from our roads and once again using our waterways for transport..
Meg Hillier MP
Member for Hackney South & Shoreditch

I had the very great pleasure of visiting the waterways in and around the Olympic Park last summer by boat with a number of Parliamentary colleagues and saw for myself the enormous potential that they have for transport, for wildlife and for public access. I am very enthusiastic about this project, which has the unanimous backing of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Waterways. It is excellent that water freight will be used to take construction materials into the site and bring spoil out. This project sets new standards for the sustainable development of under used waterways.
Bob Laxton MP
Chair - All Party Parliamentary Group on Waterways

The ideas for developing the waterways around the Olympic site are very exciting, particularly as so much hinges on commercial use which would reduce the amount of congestion on the roads. Moving people to the Olympics by water and encouraging Londoners and tourists to take advantage of the extensive rivers and canals adds another dimension to the city's attractions.
Jacqui Lait MP
Shadow Minister for London

Building Prescott Lock will bring new life and new interest to this area of London, and will help the 2012 Games move towards its goals on sustainability through the use of barges to transport materials and waste. I also look forward to going through it myself, on my narrowboat.
Cllr. J enny Jones AM
Green Party Group - London Assembly

I welcome the excellent investment into Prescott Lock as a major boost into freight on London 's Waterways. The investment by several players, including the ODA, will boost the regeneration of the East End and will benefit the Olympics. The impoundment of the Prescott Channel will help promote sustainable freight movement of supplies to the Olympics. This project will play an important role in the Olympics' environmental legacy along the waterways and will improve the towpaths for walkers and cyclists along canals and rivers that are now mostly inaccessible.
Murad Qureshi AM
Chairman - London Waterways Commission

I am delighted that the Prescott Lock has been given the go ahead. In helping to reduce the environmental impact of transporting materials, this project will be central to the sustainable construction of the Olympic Park. Beyond 2012 it will continue to create work and leisure opportunities for local communities, which I hope will lead the way for the restoration of waterways in other parts of London .
Mike Tuffrey AM
Environment Spokesman & Leader of the London Assembly Liberal Democrats

I am delighted to hear that Prescott Lock has the go ahead. I had the chance to visit the site by boat last year and saw for myself the enormous potential that the rivers in east London have to transform the area for the better. The prospects for reviving water transport and creating jobs and tourism along the waterways of the Lower Lea Valley will be tangible legacies of the 2012 Games and proof of London 's commitment to the 'greenest' Olympics ever. This is a project that we should all get behind.
Tony Arbour AM
Chairman - GLA Planning & Spatial Development Committee

This is excellent news. The new lock will create a central part of east London 's emerging Water City . It will help restore the waterways to places of beauty that can be used for both commerce and leisure. It will also harness the waterways as drivers of the local economy in very direct way by enabling tidal power to generate electricity at the seventeenth century House Mill in the heart of the Lower Lea Valley .
Paul Brickell
Chief Executive - Leaside Regeneration Ltd

Transport 2000 is delighted that this project is going ahead. Prescott Lock is a great example of a scheme that can take freight and thousands of lorry journeys off the roads. We positively endorse moves to transfer freight movements to water and rail in line with the recent recommendation of the House of Commons Transport Select Committee.
Richard Bourn
London Campaigner - Transport 2000

We are delighted to support this project. The regeneration of this section of inland waterways will enable thousands of people to enjoy the benefits of living and working by the water as well as provide plenty of opportunities for people to have fun out on the water. It will be a fabulous legacy of the 2012 Olympics for local people and businesses.
Rob Stevens
Chief Executive - British Marine Federation

We warmly welcome the news that the Prescott Lock, and thereby the creation of an environmentally-friendly route into the Olympics building site, has been given the go ahead. The provision of Prescott Lock, and the associated navigation improvements, offers the golden opportunity both to prove the value of waterborne deliveries to a major UK construction site, as well as removing many thousands of lorry movements per year from the already congested roads of East London . Water freight is an undervalued asset that needs firmly to be embraced if we are to meet our commitment of providing the most environmentally friendly Olympic Games ever held. This project leads the way. Well done for making it possible.
Roger Squires
Chairman of National Navigation Committee - Inland Waterways Association

Volker Stevin are delighted to have been appointed as contractor for this exciting design and construction project. We look forward to the delivery of this key project which will support the sustainable construction principle of the Olympic Park. This project will also provide a significant legacy for the renewal of marine freight conveyance in the region as well as for ongoing leisure use and biodiversity enhancement.
John Lovell
Business Manager - Volker Stevin Ltd

United Marine Aggregates (a joint venture between Tarmac Ltd and Hanson plc) support the construction of Prescott channel Lock and believe it can encourage growth of waterborne traffic into the Lower Lea Valley .
KJ Seaman
Managing Director - United Marine Aggregates

NABO is for all boat owners, not just leisure, and supports any better use that can be made of waterways. Prescott Lock will not only enable environmentally friendly water transport for the Olympic Games construction, but will also improve and expand navigation opportunities for all vessels on the East London rivers. We are whole-heartedly behind the scheme.
Stuart Sampson
Chairman - National Association of Boat Owners

Over the coming five years, Prescott Lock will help ensure the environmental sustainability of the 2012 Olympic Games and, in the long-term, the living legacy will mean that more people will be able to benefit from a vibrant and active waterway.
Roger Hanbury
Chief Executive - The Waterways Trust

Sustrans welcomes this plan to take traffic off roads and clean up and improve access to the area's wonderful network of waterways. We look forward to supporting all the Olympic stakeholders to help to create a legacy of waterside paths and cycleways that London can be proud of.
Carl Pittam
Manager - London Sustrans

We are privileged to have been involved with this project from its inception. Committed team working with British Waterways has been the key to successful funding applications. We were never in any doubt as to the logic of the proposal - it will remove lorries from the roads, reduce construction risk and be part of a truly sustainable transport logistics plan. We are proud to have been part of establishing the green credentials of the 2012 Olympics and the legacy of a renewed waterway.
Philip Wright
Divisional Director of Transport - Peter Brett Associates

Burdens welcome this exciting project, which complements our own plans to make greater use of the area's waterways. Using the River Lee Navigation to deliver construction materials to the 2012 Olympic construction sites by barge has formed the backbone of the preferred materials delivery bid proposed and championed by Burdens - suppliers of civil engineering, utility and infrastructure materials. Burdens have worked closely with British Waterways who have proved invaluable in bridging the gap between political will, opportunity and commercial reality. Burdens propose to use 100-tonne bio-fuelled barges offering a sound ecological and environmental alternative to road transport, considerably reducing pollution, noise and congestion. The proposal is instrumental in providing a sustainable legacy for beyond 2012.
Will Kirkman
Business Development Director - WTB Group (inc Burdens)

CEMEX has numerous waterside production and barge-loading facilities located at Angerstein, Greenwich and Northfleet , Kent . We fully support the installation of a lock at Prescott Channel, which will enable us to use up to 350 tonne barges to deliver bulk materials cost-effectively to the Olympic Games construction site. Our initial projections show that up to 500,000 tonnes per annum of marine aggregates could be transported through the lock system.
Chris Pickford
Marketing Manager - CEMEX

One of the most interesting - and frankly hair raising - trips I have had recently was on an inflatable dingy up from Leamouth to where the A12 crosses the Lea. It was a delight to have the river to ourselves but what a wasted opportunity. The Prescott Lock scheme will spread the currently very limited amount of time when there is practical river access to the Olympic site and remind me of my youth when there was a significant barge traffic on the London rivers and canals. It will also mean that roads are not clogged with so much construction traffic and contribute to carbon emission reduction. It also opens up the possibility of other developments (and there will be plenty) along the Lower Lea being serviced by river and is a demonstration of a principle that could and should be more widely applied in the UK . I commend the scheme which is ground (or more rightly canal) breaking.
Theo Steel
Projects Director, One Railway & Board Member, Thames Gateway Partnership

This is fantastic news about the new lock and improvements to the channels. Not only will this be a big step towards making the 2012 as green as possible, it will also bring into use a sustainable piece of infrastructure to support industry in the Lee Valley for decades to come.
Gordon Telling
Head of Policy ( London , SE & East of England ) - Freight Transport Association

The London Olympic Games will be a splendid event for the whole country with the eyes of the world upon us. The main stadium at Bow will regenerate a depressed and under used area, including the inland waterways in the Lee Valley known as the Bow Back Rivers. We are delighted that work is going ahead on Prescott Lock, as it will allow many thousands of tons of construction material to be moved to the area by water and keep it off London 's congested roads. The Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs wholeheartedly supports the work of British Waterways and their partners to open up these waterways for commercial and leisure use. St Pancras Cruising Club, our Central London club, regularly cruise the Bow Back Rivers in their narrowboats. The Olympics legacy will further open up access to the waterways, enabling our members throughout the country to visit and enjoy a re-invigorated area of London and, indeed, to visit the Olympics by boat, adding an extra touch of colour.
David Pearce
National Chairman - Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs

Laburnum Boat Club has had the pleasure of introducing hundreds of people to this wonderful network of east end waterways and we are delighted to hear this project has the go-ahead. Enlarging the length of navigable waterways will create an additional recreational amenity for the boating community as well as for local people and we commend the project partners for creating such an incredible legacy from the 2012 Olympics.
Jim Armstrong
Club Co-ordinator - Laburnum Boat Club

We welcome this initiative to create a new navigable waterway to assist in the construction work for the Olympic Park at Stratford . The transportation of aggregates and steel products by barge will reduce the impact of the development on local people and the environment. The legacy beyond 2012 for commercial and leisure traffic will mean an ongoing benefit to local transport and simply would not have been possible without Prescott Lock. Bennetts look forward to working closely with British Waterways and other stakeholders in the area to take full advantage of this opportunity to regenerate this East London waterway for future generations.
David Allen
Managing Director - Alan C. Bennett & Sons Ltd

J.J. Prior Transport Ltd. fully support British Waterways in their drive to use our waterways for commercial traffic, we here at Priors will help in every possible way to make the principle of using the River Lee (Prescott Lock) with our small fleet to transport construction materials for the Olympic Games and the longer term legacy for the transport by water.
John Greenleaf
Director - JJ Prior Transport Ltd & President - River Association for Freight Transport

Hanson is committed to the principles of sustainability and exploring opportunities for new and innovative ways of getting our products to market. We support the concept of using the canal infrastructure for the delivery of heavy building materials to the Olympic site and with our considerable experience of material supply and logistics we are looking forward to further discussions to explore the concept. I congratulate British Waterways on this important first milestone in developing the underutilised Bow Back Rivers.
Paul Yeoman
/ Olympics & SE Major Projects Director - Hanson Plc

Three Mills Mooring Association welcomes the impounding of the water and the installation of Prescott 's lock as a sustainable initiative to utilize London 's waterways within it's transport network, and to regenerate the Bow Back Rivers. Not only will this provide a vital new access route for freight, leisure and residential vessels, but will allow walkers, cyclists and local residents to use and enjoy the towpaths. We are delighted that an already attractive and important heritage site at the gateway to the Lea Valley will be further improved by this scheme. It also represents a significant improvement to the safety of the residents moored at Three Mills. On their return to Three Mills Wall River in late 2008, moorers will no longer have to face the many hazards associated with moving boats across tidal waters and under perilously low bridges or the adhesive dangers of silt deposits. For the first time, our members will be able to enjoy the benefits of living and cruising on an `inland waterway'.
Steve Pugh
Chairman - Three Mills Moorings Association

During the industrial revolution the Bow Back Rivers provided the route for water and raw materials to reach local industry. The new lock on Prescott Channel will restore navigation to the river after 40 years, open up a natural river-park for future generations and provide a further link to accessible green space in the developing Greengrids across the Thames Gateway. The Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership has been working with the Port of Tilbury to support the reopening of the channel, so that the port can play a pivotal role in delivering a green Olympics. By providing clean delivery of materials by barge for the Olympic site, and using barge traffic to take waste materials back by the same Greengrid route, an exciting multifunctional regeneration project will be established, which will also add economic value.
Mary McHugh
Greengrid Advocate - Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership

West Ham Allotment Society Limited lies adjacent to the Prescott Channel. Our partial relocation to neighbouring land secured from Thames Water on our behalf by British Waterways helps to support the allotment community to continue to grow their own vegetables, and our intention to regenerate the whole site. It is good news that both of our landlords are committed to the continuation of allotment gardening in this lovely part of East London .
Gordon Joly - West Ham Allotment Society Limited

This is a real advance. It will free the roads of large numbers of lorries and transform the situation for freight on water. I am delighted with this development.
Gwyneth Dunwoody MP
Chairman of the Parliamentary Transport Select Committee

It is absolutely marvellous news that the Prescott Lock is going to be built. We have worked closely with British Waterways for the last two years, showing a host of planners, engineers, politicians and chief executives around the area by boat. Seeing the Lower Lea Valley from the water has undoubtedly opened people's eyes to the enormous potential the waterways have for transport, leisure and wildlife and we are delighted that they are now going to be restored.

We would like to pass our thanks to everyone for braving what were sometimes very cold and wet conditions to enable them to see for themselves the potential of this wonderful area. Congratulations !
Julie Newens
Chas Newens Marine