would you buy a house near a cruise ship terminal?

[BipBippadotta]

We're looking at buying a house in E Greenwich, but are alarmed at the plans to build a cruise ship terminal a ten minute walk away in Enderby Wharf - Boris Johnson green-lighted this with no concern for the massive air pollution it would cause in the area.

Whoops, sent too soon (posting from bus). Anyway, apparently the decision is being challenged but there's no timetable for the final high court ruling. Would you buy this house under the circumstances? I am troubled, as we love the house but would prefer not to die young of diesel-inspired cancer.

UK is in the north sea emission control area for ships meaning that the sulphur emissions from ships have to be below 0.10% m/m. so the level of pollution form the ships is strictly controlled . so no i would not worry too much.
(against a limit globally of 3.5 % m/m which i set to fall to 0.5% after 2020 or 2025. )

10 minute walk away isnt that close

It's not just the boat but also the number of passengers coming and going by coach that would also concern me.

If you're buying in East Greenwich, I'd be much more concerned about the pollution coming from the gridlocked traffic along Trafalgar Road and the three/four lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic along the Blackwall Tunnel approach road.

Hm. I suppose having no knowledge of emissions levels it's hard to gauge whether 0.10% m/m is liveable with or not. I'd read something likening a cruise ship to 2,000 idling lorries - can't now find that article again, frustratingly. It was about the shipping pollution in Portsmouth, so somewhere subject to the same emissions controls.

We're pretty hardy so could probably cope (provided DH keeps on top of his asthma inhaler prescriptions!), but I wonder whether it would be difficult to sell the house if we needed to, once the terminal was up and running and the Greenwich power station active again.

the smell of the smoke from ships diesels when they start up, sit around getting warm, and get underway, is terrible.

I suppose we now know they will be chucking out particulates as well.

I live in East Greenwich now, about 2 minutes walk from Trafalgar road and about 25 minutes from where the proposed cruise terminal will be. It's a big difference! FWIW I wouldn't want to live near the terminal for reasons that have nothing to do with it - more to do with being isolated from all the nice bits of Greenwich by the A roads, Blackwall Tunnel approach etc. How well do you know the area generally, OP?

No I wouldn't.

The endless building work (how long will it take?), site traffic during the works, passenger traffic, fumes from the ships, etc.

No.

I live about 20 mins walk from a cruise ship terminal. There is a smell/smog but also the traffic when the ships are in is horrendous. I work the other side of the terminal and it clogs the whole city up when there is a big cruise in.

If you are worried about pollution and asthmatic, anywhere in east London is obviously bad - prevailing wind. Johnson has signed off worse things but he didn't make the city what it is.

I would also think that ship days would be even more.crowded.

Thanks everyone! I know the area fairly well after lots of house-hunting, though I live in NE London at the moment.

The place I'm looking at is by Maze Hill station, upwind of the proposed terminal, not cut off by A roads and Blackwall Tunnel approach, about 2 mins' walk to the park. So I don't think isolation from the nice bits would be an issue. Just hard to predict what the impact of the cruise ships will be.

Oh my ILs live there - lovely area. Totally irrelevant i know Greenwich park is gorgeous. I wouldn't worry, 10 mins walk is not that close.

I wouldn't worry at all if that's where you're looking!

Lovely area-right by the park-go for it

Hi Bipbippadotta, I was wondering what you decided in the end, and if you are in the house? I have similar concerns about this area so I would really appreciate your advice on how you find it (although I realise the terminal isn't up and running yet). My main concern I think is what the council do in the future. Greenwich is such a beautiful historic area but I fear the council will ruin it if they continue with all of these huge modern developments. Have you got any insight yet as to how the terminal / IKEA will affect you?

Thank you!