Ken Livingstone backs Burdens barge bid.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone, has given his unqualified support to Burdens plans to use the River Lee to deliver construction materials to the Olympic site. The mayor was a guest speaker at an event entitled ‘North London and Beyond’ held at City Hall in London recently. Guests included Baroness Andrews OBE - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Lord Toby Harris –of the Metropolitan Police Authority and three local MP’s David Burrows (Enfield), Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey) and David Lammy (Tottenham) along with around one hundred and fifty invited guests representing business and local government.

The event was organised by North London Ltd and the North London Strategic Alliance to support and promote the planned growth for the area. The Olympic site is within the area as is much of the planned development for the London Boroughs. Burdens Will Kirkman asked the Mayor if he would give his personal backing for the plans to use barges on the River Lee to transport materials to the Olympic site. The Mayor’s answer was an unqualified yes, and he followed his positive reply with an enthusiastic backing for the principle of using water to help fulfil his very public promise that the 2012 games would be the “greenest ever”.

It would appear that Ken has been good to his word regarding the use of alternative transport methods for the Olympics; there are indications from those involved in the planning of the infrastructure for the Olympics that active steps to secure funding are now being pushed along with some urgency. A source close to those involved in this process said that the outcome looked very favourable and that a positive announcement is expected in January 2007.