Campaigners desperate for contentious plans for a ‘toxic cruise port’ to be sunk have had the backing of an MP as they call for answers from the banking bosses behind the scheme.

The Not Toxic Cruise Port for London have written to Morgan Stanley two months after it was revealed the banking giant, which owns the Enderby Wharf site, is working on fresh proposals.

Planning permission for the major regeneration scheme in east Greenwich was controversially granted in 2015, despite opposition campaigns going as far as the High Court.

The resurfaced campaign, backed on both sides of the river, has centred on the fact the terminal will not have an onshore power source for ships docking there.

This means power will instead come from ships’ onboard engines, rather than a local electricity supply.

In a letter to Morgan Stanley bosses, the group said: “In their current form, Morgan Stanley’s proposals only serve to make London’s air quality worse by allowing cruise ships to generate high levels of pollution from their  large diesel engines.

“The threat of having to breathe in harmful emissions has been hanging over us for a long time and is a major source of consternation for us and our families.”

The letter goes on to say the development could be a “flagship” for the bank’s property portfolios, and that results could be backed by campaigners and the council if the situation is “turned around.”

“We are not only talking about a clean cruise facility that uses the latest innovations,” the letter reads, “but one that offers people a place where they really want to live. It’s time to say goodbye to shoebox apartments stacked on top of each other and to create a place with high-quality public realm. Somewhere importantly that gives us a proper amount of affordable housing.”

Council leader Dan Thorpe, who sat on the planning committee in 2015 which agreed the plans, publicly urged Morgan Stanley in July to address widespread concerns and to bring forward new proposals.

A petition was handed to councillors earlier this year calling on them to sink the plans if onshore power is not included – and the campaigners are now working to present the petition to the bank.

The idea for a cruise ship terminal in Greenwich has been touted for seven years, and the approved 2015 application also includes plans for major residential developments.

Greenwich and Woolwich MP Matthew Pennycook has backed the new resident-led campaign, along with Poplar MP Jim Fitzpatrick, who has also written to Morgan Stanley.

He said: “I am supportive of a new cruise terminal and the jobs, tourism and business that it will bring, however in planning this terminal environmental issues must be addressed to avoid increasing the already high levels of air pollution in Greenwich and Tower Hamlets.”

A spokesman for Morgan Stanley confirmed to this paper it was still in the process of preparing fresh proposals for the site.

A previous statement from the American bank said: “We’re working on fresh proposals for the Enderby Wharf site and look forward to engaging with the council to discuss these in the near future.”