It will be located between the O2 arena and the Cutty Sark at Enderby Wharf in the royal borough, with a fast clipper shuttling passengers to the West End in 20 minutes.

Plans for the cruise liner dock have been given the go-ahead by Boris Johnson and could be completed in two years.

This would allow cruise ships up to 240 metres long — almost as big as Titanic — to dock west of the Thames barrier for the first time, rather than docking at Tilbury, 22 miles from Tower Bridge.

With each ship carrying up to 3,000 passengers, this would deliver a huge boost to the royal borough’s economy. Liners would begin or end their cruises in Greenwich, coming from as far afield as New York.

A 251-bedroom hotel and 770 homes will be built alongside the dock, which will stick out about 75 metres into the Thames. About 100 ships a year are expected to use the dock. Developer West Properties refused to reveal the cost of the project, which is backed by Morgan Stanley.