Riverbank plan to boost capital

The Government launches its attempt to resuscitate theThames today, ordering local councils to reject the kind of faceless, unfriendly development which has disfigured London's river for decades.

New buildings beside the river in the capital must be aimed at bringing it back to life - for use in transport, recreation, commerce and housing.

The Secretary of State for the Environment, John Gummer, will issue new planning guidance for the Thames from Windsor to the North Sea. His interventionist stance brings the Government into conflict with Tory- controlled Westminster City Council.

The council intends to stop taking its annual 200,000 tons of refuse by barge down to a landfill site in Essex, and instead haul it by road to a electricity-generating incinerator - which will mean 15,000 extra lorry journeys in central London a year. Under these plans, the Gatliff Road depot where the rubbish is loaded on to barges - a lucrative site next to Chelsea Bridge - will be developed commercially.

The Government is proposing that Gatliff Road and more than 30 other wharves should be safeguarded from any development which prevents them being used for freight transport.

This controversial proposal, which is subject to consultation, is intended to safeguard the Thames as a working river and ease congested roads.

Under the draft planning guidance issued today, the 30-mile stretch of river from Hampton Court in the west to the Thames Barrier - flanked by 13 borough councils - will become a special planning zone.

In granting planning permissions, councils will have to ensure that new developments allow public access to the riverside. On the ground floor, each new building will have to have some element to welcome the public, such as restaurants and shops. No net loss of trees or greenery will be allowed.

Mr Gummer told the Independent: "We've never managed to have an overall Thames strategy.We haven't treated the river properly for decades. There's been far too much mediocre, insensitive development which has turned its back on this great river. It's the jewel in the crown of London and South- east England.

"We're very fortunate with the timing of the new guidance. A lot of development of important, vacant sites has been held back by the recession, but now we're expecting quite a lot of planning proposals to come forward." They will have to conform with the guidance, on which there is now four months of public consultation.

In writing the document, prepared with the help of an advisory committee including architect Sir Richard Rogers, property developer Stuart Lipton and journalist Simon Jenkins, one of the biggest problems was to insist that only "high quality" buildings went up by the river, while accommodating sharply different views on what constitutes good architecture.

For instance, one of the senior civil servants involved considers Bankside power station - attracting much enthusiasm as it is converted into a new Tate Gallery - an ugly structure which should be demolished.

The Government's answer is to set out a series of hurdles for developers who must consult with local residents and councils across the river, as well as the borough that their site is in. They will also have to talk to the Royal Fine Art Commission about their plans to demonstrate that they have put their proposed building in context, a move that will discourage high- rise buildings next to the river.

Mr Gummer wants to encourage mixed use to bring life to the riverbank, with developments which mingle housing, offices, shops, restaurants, open space and leisure facilities. He also wants increased use of the Thames for public transport, to ease road congestion.

The guidance advocates new or upgraded piers, with good linkages with the existing bus, railway and Tube networks. But past failures have shown that if the Thames is to carry commuters, this will require public subsidy - and the guidance makes no commitment to that.