Forum

A £25 million party boat which is set to sail up and down the River Thames with as many as 1,500 passengers is facing opposition from locals concerned about events on it going on into the early hours every night of the week.

Luxury superyacht Oceandiva is set to host high-end conferences and soirées from Spring next year, and promises to be a 'revolutionary' net-zero events space.

Owners Oceandiva have submitted a planning application to operate the vessel Monday to Sunday between 11am and 2am the next day.

The company has also applied for an extension to all licensable activities on six days of the year, including New Year's Eve.

Spanning across three decks, the boat can carry up to 1,500 guests standing and 500 seated, with attendees flitting between the 'al fresco' deck space and the ship's interior once it sets in motion. 

Renderings of the 282ft-long ship show it will have a stylish bar area, a spot-lit dance floor with a stage, and will cruise past some of the capital's most iconic landmarks, such as Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament.

But Londoners living along the Thames have expressed their concerns about the late hours and around how the hundreds of partygoers will be able to embark and disembark without disturbing them.

Revelers will be able to climb aboard the ship at six different docking points in the city - Butler's Wharf, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, Greenwich and Royal Victoria Dock.

Residents in Shad Thames, a historic riverside community next to Tower Bridge, have voiced their worries about the boats' activities around Butler's Wharf - a private pier the council does not have control over.

Following a community meeting, the boat's operators assured locals that there would not be disembarkment on the central London pier after 10.30pm.

One resident was not satisfied with this, writing: 'Even a mass disembarkation around 10.30 could be hugely disruptive, given the unprecedented size of the boat and the fact that BW's location make it one of the most central of all of the piers OD is claiming to be able to use.'

Others expressed concern about 'static parties' on the pier, something Oceandiva insisted it has no intention of doing. 

Meanwhile, some pointed out that as a party boat, Oceandiva would be sailing slowly back and forth along the same route, bothering residents further. 

Peter Golds, a Tory councillor in Tower Hamlets, said that allowing the party boat would be highly disruptive for local residents. 

'You imagine at one o'clock on a summer's morning when you're trying to go to sleep and there are 1,500 people having a party slowly going past your bathroom windows on the River Thames,' he told the Telegraph, before adding that those getting off the boat would cause even more noise.

Councils including Westminster, Southwark and Greenwich, have all submitted responses to the planning consultation.  

Oceandiva London said it was working with the Metropolitan Police to form a management plan for landings at Butler's Wharf and added that it would address all of resident's concerns 

The company promises its new vessel will 'revolutionise the luxury events and hospitality sector', as the UK's first CO2-neutral venue on the Thames.

Events on the day cruise will be catered by Moving Venue, which creates menus in Kensington Palace and the Victoria and Albert Museum, in collaboration with Last Supper, a luxury catering company that counts high-end names like Gucci, Sotheby's and Mont Blanc among its clients. 

To wash it all down, the venue has recruited 'London's leading mixologists' to create the bar's drinks menu, with tailored beverage offerings available for each event. 

The swish new party venue has been designed by Oceandiva, a Dutch company that already operates similar ships in The Netherlands and Germany. 

The British events company Smart Group, working in collaboration with Oceandiva, will own, manage and operate Oceandiva London. 

Greg Lawson, CEO of Smart Group said in a statement: 'We are proud to be the operators of the first ever CO2 neutral events venue in the world, one that raises the bar for luxury venues on the river Thames. Our 30-year reputation as the UK's leading hospitality provider, professionally executing private and corporate events such as Royal Ascot, Lords and Silverstone at an exemplary standard make us the ideal operators of the vessel.

'Quality, passion and integrity is what drives me and my business and Oceandiva London will be no exception. We are a family-run business and are empathetic to residents' concerns, however, we are confident of our reputation and ability to execute events to a high professional standard.

'To date, 80% of enquiries have been for events less than 500, and 95% have been for corporate events. The events we will deliver will be primarily awards and charity dinners, product launches, corporate and governmental conferences - it is important to note that there will not be any ticketed 'on the door' events.'