Latest PLA investment prepares east London wharves for return to operation

Construction teams are busy preparing two east London wharves to return to operation in 2022, in a £2.6 million programme of essential improvement works for the Port of London Authority (PLA).

One hundred steel piles, each 22.5 metres long and weighing five tonnes are being driven into the 200-metre-long quayside at the adjoining Plaistow and Royal Primrose wharfs in Newham, East London. The piles will provide a stable platform for a new concrete deck to be installed.

The construction arm of Plaistow Wharf tenant, Keltbray Environmental, is undertaking the site works. Keltbray is due to welcome the first cargo carrying barges to the site early in the New Year.

The PLA acquired three adjacent wharfs, Peruvian, Plaistow and Royal Primrose over the last five years as part of its Investment Plan, in order to bring them back into use for cargo handling. The PLA’s total investment in site acquisition and improvements readying them for operations is some £20 million.

PLA director of planning & environment, James Trimmer, said:

“These site works are the latest, essential stage in getting these wharfs back into use. By the end of next year, Plaistow and Royal Primrose wharves will, like Peruvian, be occupied by tenants and busy handling cargo. Together they form the riverside heart of a cluster of marine/industrial activity in East London, underpinning the low carbon movement of cargoes along the river, keeping lorries off the capital’s congested road network.”

Peruvian Wharf, the first to return to operation, is home to Brett Group’s Capital Concrete operation. It was officially opened in 2019 by London’s deputy mayor for planning, regeneration and skills, Jules Pipe CBE.

The quayside deck slabs for Plaistow and Royal Primrose will be cast on site, using Capital Concrete from Peruvian Wharf. Work readying the site for cargo handling will include re-grading the riverbed alongside the wharf and installing berthing piles ready for ships to come alongside.