If the plan goes ahead, Gravesend Pier could be used as a pickup point

A plan to use water taxis to ferry Kent passengers up and down the River Thames has been proposed by Sir Terry Farrell.

The plan would use nine local piers as pick up points, including some at Gravesend, Medway and Sheerness.

Sir Terry, a leading architect commissioned to come up with ideas for regenerating the Thames Gateway, said it could give the area a new image.

Mike Snelling, of Gravesham Borough Council, said a commuter river service was "long overdue".

"I've been a councillor here for about 22 years and I can remember there was an attempt to set up a commuter river service to London," he said.

"It never really took off and unfortunately didn't proceed but perhaps now is the right time to do it," he added.

Sir Terry said similar scale plans worked on Sydney Harbour and in Hong Kong.

"If you look at certain cities such as Hong Kong, people move about in great mass numbers."

"It's a mass transport system in places like Hong Kong and Sydney Harbour on scales that are not too different to the Thames Estuary," he said.