Land & Water Group, Guilford, U.K.
Millwall Outer Dock forms part of the 110-acre West India and Millwall Dock system on the Isle of Dogs in East London. Once a thriving port that received goods from all over the world, the docks are enjoying a new renaissance as a leisure destination in their own right.
Canary Wharf business and shopping district is located within a 15-minute walk and the site also is well served by Docklands Light Railway, providing easy access to Greenwich and into the City of London.
The moorings site is located on the eastern end of the dock and provides space for boats moored alongside each other or directly against the Dock wall. The large open expanse of the dock is used by the Dockland Sailing and Watersport Centre.
As part of the expansion of its permanent residential moorings in London, the Canal & River Trust approached Land & Water to install a permanent residential mooring in the Millwall Outer Dock. This formed part of its “Waterside Mooring” portfolio. Planning permission was obtained for 16 floating berths. Land & Water’s project involved completing installation of the mooring scheme ready to let to berth holders.
Land & Water was able to access the moorings via one single access bridge to a gate which was secured by design as stipulated by the Council. Sixteen post boxes were provided within the entrance gate.
The project included the construction of pontoons which had a non-slip sand coloured GRP decking in addition to a supply of 10 service bollards for water and electricity, one tap per bollard, and an additional eight bollards for foul. Land & Water worked with local land owners to agree on routes and connections for these services, as well as manage the installation of the services.
Land & Water ensured that each berth had one lockable storage container for bike storage in addition to any personal possessions.
Six 240-litre wheelie waste bins were positioned on the southern end of the pontoon. These were screened with housing to match the storage boxes.
Marginal planting was included between the pontoons and the dock wall to encourage biodiversity in the area.
Millwall Outer Dock has a concrete base and therefore piles were not an option. Consequently, Land & Water worked closely with Solent Marine to develop a chain and anchor system that would be suitable for the project, as well as with the local Canal & River Trust to agree a suitable area to use within West India Docks.
Due to the location of the project, the moorings were required to be of a higher specification than other projects. Land & Water procured specifically fabricated storage units, bin stores and a gate entrance that matched the client’s requirements.
Project Particulars
Client: Canal & River Trust
Duration: May 2019—May 2020
Project: value: £900,000
Reprinted from Marine Construction Magazine, Issue II, 2024
