Just a few days to have your say on the Thames Tunnel ‘super sewer’ project

The scheme's second stage consultation ends at 5pm, Friday 10 February.   Council leader Ravi Govindia says the construction programme will have a major impact on local residents and businesses and is urging people to raise their concerns before the deadline.

He said: "This enormous engineering project will last for seven years and involves more than 20 separate worksites across London . Many of these will be in Wandsworth or very close by and will cause major disruption to local people.

"This consultation is a key opportunity to influence the scheme and minimise the impacts on our community. The more people who raise their concerns, the more pressure it puts on Thames Water to make the changes we're calling for.

"It's particularly important that residents voice their objections to the use of Barn Elms Playing Fields as a main drive shaft. Thames Water no longer lists the site as its preferred location for these highly disruptive works but we can take nothing for granted and must continue to stress that this greenfield area is not an option."

A brief summary of the council's consultation response is included below. The full response is available on the council's website.

The proposed Thames Tunnel aims to capture overflows from London 's Victorian sewers and reduce pollution in the river.

To view details of the revised scheme and to respond to the consultation visit http://www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk/

Following the phase two consultation, Thames Water intends to finalise the designs and construction methodology before submitting a planning application to the Infrastructure Planning Commission in 2012. Construction is expect to start in 2016 and will last for around six to seven years.

Wandsworth Council's key concerns:

Transport and access

River transport should be maximised for deliveries and taking excavated materials away from worksites. The consultation material leaves too much flexibility over transport management. Each barge is estimated to replace 55 lorry movements.

Costs

Residents' annual water bills are now expected to rise by £70-80 compared to £50-60 in the phase one consultation. The council is deeply concerned by this and has renewed its call for an absolute cap on the amount water bills will be allowed to rise as a result of the project.

Barn Elms CSO site

The council has welcomed Thames Water's decision to relocate the main shaft to a more appropriate brownfield site. The CSO works will use a much smaller area of the playing fields and greatly reduce the scheme's impact on this important greenfield site. It also means the Thames Path would no longer need to be diverted nor would the local scout hut need to be relocated.

The council opposes the planned site access road alongside Beverley Brook and prefers an alternative route north along the eastern end of the sports pitches, connecting with Queen Elizabeth Walk.

Putney Bridge Foreshore CSO site

Thames Water has undertaken a number of design changes to mitigate the impact of this site on Putney town centre and residential neighbours but serious concerns remain.

The council wants a firm commitment that river transport must be used for deliveries and to take excavated material away from the site. Given the traffic congestion and air pollution issues at this location river transport must be maximised at all stages of the construction programme.

The phase two proposals now show the pier structure to have moved westwards allowing the retention of the existing slipway which is of historic significance. However, in design terms, the proposed structure would now create a metre high wall juxtaposed with the slipway which is unacceptable.

The council is concerned that the pier structure proposed may inhibit the tidal flow, be visually intrusive and have an uncomfortable relationship to the historic slipway.

The final location of the pier must not adversely impact on the riverbus service.
The 'cabinet' proposed for Waterman's Green, and the ventilation column proposed by the bridge abutment need to be reconsidered. Thames Water should explore the possibility of locating the cabinet into one of the adjacent bridge vaults and out of sight. The ventilation structure should make a positive contribution to the site and could incorporate interpretation panels to reveal the history of the area.

February 8, 2012