The scheme completely ignores the boatyard on Badcocks Wharf, home for 20 years of Thames Craft Dry Docking Services Ltd, operators of the last remaining boatyard on this part of the tidal Thames.

Morden College, freeholder of the development site, has served Thames Craft with notice to quit effective on 1 June 2005.

More than 20 Thames users, including the Port of London Authority, Thames Clippers, Woods River Cruises and Catamaran Cruisers/Bateaux London, have written to urge Greenwich Council to save the boatyard, whose loss would have a devastating effect on support services on the river. Fleet operators are already concerned about the shortage of services and the time they have to spend on repairs and maintenance, which is a material factor in their running costs and the cost of fares on passenger services supplied under contract to London's transport providers.

Dave Gilbey, Catamaran Cruisers operations manager said, 'Loss of the last available repair and survey facilities in our locality would be extremely detrimental to our company and indeed the majority of operators on the River Thames.'

Paul Deverell, who founded the Greenwich based business more than 20 years ago said, 'Time is running short if the operation of the boatyard is to survive. Re-locating dry docks, cranes, stores and gear will take months to arrange and once disbanded the skilled workforce will be hard to reassemble.'

Staff have specialised marine engineering skills for carrying out repairs and maintenance including mobile services for emergency repairs for pontoons and piers. Thames Craft carries out around half the annual maintenance work for London's maritime tourist industry and three-quarters of Thames pleasure boat refit and maintenance work requiring MCA (Marine Coastguard Agency) safety accreditation. It is one of very few service providers the PLA identifies as capable of handling large commercial craft in London - the nearest other yard is at Gravesend in Kent.

According to the PLA, river transport removes some 400,000 lorry journeys per year from London's congested roads and also accounts for some two million passengers who might otherwise be in cars. These are both figures the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, would like to see increase. If London's bid for an East London orientated Olympics in 2012 is successful there will be even greater imperatives for river use but the commercial vessel operators providing the services may have moved on if convenient repair and servicing facilities have disappeared.

Mr Deverell will be giving evidence to the Inspector at a public inquiry into the Greenwich Unitary Development Plan, aiming to strengthen the Council's backing for the boatyard. Greenwich Council has already amended its policy to require the retention of the boatyard in any new development, something the developer has ignored. Council policy requires 'a relocation package securing. . .

a viable alternative site before Badcocks Wharf is cleared for redevelopment', which Deverell says has not been offered.

The Greenwich Unitary Development Plan public inquiry was due to start on 11 January 2005.

Details are at the website www. greenwich. gov. uk/Greenwic h/YourCouncil/Strategies/Unitary DevelopmentPlan