St George Wharf Pier - Lambeth, London, UK - Grand Opening on Waymarking.com

The plaque, close to the entrance to the pier, reads:

St George Wharf Pier

Opened
14th September 2011
by the Mayor of London
Boris Johnson

The Thames Clipper website who operate passenger ferries on the River Thames, tells us:

Multi award winning property developer St George PLC and Mayor of London Boris Johnson officially opened a £1.7 million floating passenger pier and new river transport service at St George Wharf in South West London on Wednesday 14th September, a major new development which supports the Mayor's vision of increasing pier capacity on the Thames by 20 per cent.

Located on the front of St George Wharf, the award winning development, near to Vauxhall, River Bus operator Thames Clippers will provide the pier with a new high speed river service west of Waterloo, opening the West of the River Thames to nearby residents and the wider public for the first time in two decades.

The service 'Tate to Tate & Service West'–will run from 3rd October every 40 minutes seven days a week from St George Wharf and will take commuters and visitors into central London, the City and Canary Wharf.

St George PLC worked in partnership with the Greater London Authority, Transport for London, Lambeth Council, the Port of London Authority and Thames Clippers to help provide this vital piece of new transport infrastructure for Vauxhall, Lambeth and South London. The pier has been designed by Beckett Rankine.

The Mayor is committed to improving river services and believes that, with partnerships such as this, the pier capacity on the Thames could be increased by 20 per cent, opening up the river to half a million more users by the end of 2012. This includes bigger piers in the central section and new piers such as the St George Wharf pier in the outer London sections of the river.

New piers in outer regions of the Thames, especially in growth areas such as Nine Elms, Woolwich Arsenal and Barking Riverside, are key to opening up the river for commuter travel and the Mayor welcomes private investment such as this partnership with St George. The Mayor aims to increase capacity in the central London region of the Thames which runs between Millbank and Tower Bridge, by lengthening existing piers to ease congestion and creating a more frequent and reliable service. An extension to Tower Pier is being delivered by TfL in time for the 2012 Games, which will add an extra 25% capacity to one of London's most popular passenger piers.

2012 is expected to be the busiest year on the river to date, as the river plays a central role as a mode of transport for the Olympic Games and also to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Travelling by river is pleasurable and reliable and the new pier complements work already done by the Mayor's River Concordat group to achieve his vision for addressing the barriers to river travel in London. The River Bus Service now accepts Oyster pay as you go and last year a package of improvements were introduced for the six million passengers who use the river each year, including a tube style map and real–time travel information through a mobile app and online.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "More and more Londoners are experiencing the joy of a daily commute that involves gliding along the river Thames enjoying a fresh perspective of the city's iconic views.

"This latest development, involving vital private investment, is another major step in opening up our great waterway to half a million more passengers a year. There is huge potential to develop piers along the river and increase passenger capacity by 20 per cent by 2012, securing the Thames' reputation as an integral part of London's transport network."

"The Thames has traditionally been one of the most underused highways in the capital and that's something I have been determined to change – we have already made great strides with the Oysterisation of riverboat services, better signage and clearer travel information for passengers."

Mark Griffiths, Managing Director of St George South London, comments: "During the Olympics the opening of the waterway at this important development will make travelling across the capital even easier for residents and visitors."

The new pier extends the river services into West London helping it become a truly integral part of the transport network. Signposting at St George Wharf will help people easily find their way to both the river and to the tube lines for commuting.

Port of London Authority (PLA) chief executive, Richard Everitt, said: "The river is a great way to travel to work and to see the sights of London. This pier will enable many more people in west London to take advantage of that opportunity. We have worked closely with the developer on this project and are very pleased to see it completed. We look forward to working on more piers to expand river services further west."

Sean Collins, Managing Director of Thames Clippers, said: "For centuries the River Thames was the key transport method for the capital and I very much feel that river travel is just as important today. Thames Clippers offers commuters an efficient and comfortable means to travel between London's key business districts and I am very pleased that we are now able open up the opportunity of river travel to passengers in and around Vauxhall from St George Wharf pier."

St George Wharf, London's premier riverside destination, has a variety of shops, bars and restaurants and is perfectly located for easy access to the best of London culture and entertainment in the nearby West End. With the new pier, St George Wharf will benefit from another transport link adding to the nearby underground stations and close proximity to international airports.

The pier is one of many investments that St George PLC has made to the River Thames in recent years. In continuing tough economic times, this investment demonstrates commitment to helping improve London's transport infrastructure.

The Greater London Authority website tells us about the mayor, Boris Johnson, who opened the pier:

The Mayor's role as the executive of London's strategic authority is to promote economic development and wealth creation, social development, and improvement of the environment. The Mayor also has various other duties in relation to culture and tourism, including responsibility for Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square.

Boris Johnson has been Mayor of London since May 2008, when he received the largest personal mandate in British political history.

Few Londoners have entirely English descent, and Boris is no exception. Born in New York in 1964, he describes himself as a 'one man melting-pot', with French, Turkish, Russian and German ancestry.

Boris went to primary school in Camden and was subsequently educated at the European School in Brussels, Ashdown House and then at Eton College in Berkshire, where he went on a scholarship. He later read Classics at Balliol College, Oxford as a Brackenbury scholar. During his time at Oxford University he served as president of the Oxford Union.

Upon graduation he lasted a week as a management consultant before becoming a trainee reporter for The Times. After a short spell as a writer for the Wolverhampton Express and Star, he joined The Daily Telegraph in 1987 as leader and feature writer.

From 1989 to 1994 he was the Telegraph's European Community correspondent and from 1994 to 1999 he served as assistant editor. His association with The Spectator magazine began as political columnist in 1994. In 1999 he became editor of the Spectator, a post he held for six years before stepping down in December 2005. He has won several awards for journalism, both as editor and columnist.

Besides his work as a journalist, Boris has published several books, including 'Friends, Voters and Countrymen', an autobiographical account of his experience of the 2001 election campaign, a novel, 'Seventy-Two Virgins'. He has also produced a TV series on Roman History from his book of the same name, 'The Dream of Rome'. In 2011 he published 'Johnson’s Life of London', a celebration of some of the people who gave London its vibrancy and character, from Roman times to the present day.

In 2001 Boris was elected as the Conservative MP for Henley on Thames, replacing Michael Heseltine. He held shadow government posts as Vice Chairman, Shadow Minister for the Arts and Shadow Minister of Higher Education.

In July 2007, Boris announced he would seek the nomination for Conservative candidate for Mayor of London. He was duly selected as the candidate in an all London open primary that autumn, before being elected Mayor in May 2008, defeating Labour incumbent Ken Livingstone. Boris resigned as MP for Henley shortly after the 2008 election. He was re-elected for a second four year term as Mayor in May 2012.

Under his tenure crime in London has fallen 11%, the capital has seen record investment in transport and the city staged what are widely acknowledged to be the most successful Olympic and Paralympic Games ever.

In his first term he introduced a hugely popular cycle hire scheme and a new replacement for the 'Routemaster', the cleanest and greenest diesel hybrid in the world. He also oversaw the building of a record number of new affordable homes.

Boris has made jobs and growth his key focus during his second term, prioritising house building, investment in road and rail infrastructure, and support for financial services and the tech sector, as well as championing low and stable tax rates and the construction of a new multi runway hub airport to the east of London.

As well as being a passionate cyclist, Boris enjoys painting, and playing tennis. He and his wife Marina have four children and live in north London.