More than eight out of ten Londoners support the Thames Tunnel, proposed to help tackle growing sewage pollution in the River Thames, a new survey commissioned by Thames Water has revealed.
The news has been warmly welcomed by ‘Thames Tunnel Now’, a coalition of environmental and amenity groups, campaigning against the discharge of untreated sewage into the river.
The telephone poll of 2,400 capital residents, conducted by independent market research company ComRes, shows that 43 per cent of respondents strongly support the project. Opposition was registered by 11 per cent of the representative cross section of people surveyed.
The sample for the survey was weighted towards the boroughs potentially directly affected by the tunnel’s construction, but also took in residents of all local authority areas in Greater London. Support for the project was highest in Hounslow (93 per cent) and lowest in Lewisham (77 per cent).
Over half of the participants (54 per cent) declared that improving the quality of water in the river was a high priority for them, higher than the propotion of respondents who attached most importance to the appearance of their local environment (47 per cent), or improving traffic in their area (42 per cent).
Whatever their views of the project, an overwhelming majority (96 per cent) agreed that the river is a globally important landmark for London, with 79 per cent viewing it as a source of pride for the capital. Sixty per cent were of the opinion that the river is under used.
Less than one in ten (nine per cent) would happily swim in the Thames, a practice recently banned by the Port of London Authority.
Awareness of the project is highest in Richmond (63 per cent), one of the riverside boroughs where Thames Water has focussed its public consultation for the project, which started in September 2010.
Of those who had heard of the project, awareness of it potentially being built in their borough, was highest in Hammersmith and Fulham (78 per cent), home to Carnwath Road Riverside, one of four main sites identified by Thames Water as needed to serve as bases for the construction of the tunnel from 2015/16.
Along with Lewisham, Hammersmith and Fulham was also home to the highest proportion of opponents to the project. Newham is the borough with the highest proportion of supporters, the poll found.
Over 60 per cent said that the Thames Tunnel’s potential to create over 9,000 jobs would make them a lot more likely to support the project.
Phil Stride, Head of London Tideway Tunnels at Thames Water, said: “This poll reveals a welcome, underlying groundswell of popular support for the project right across the capital. There’s a clear consensus that allowing growing levels of untreated sewage into the river that so defines our capital city is unacceptable and must be addressed as soon as possible.
“This does not in any way diminish the legitimate concerns of communities living near to our proposed construction sites. We remain as committed as ever to working with these residents to ensure that potential disruption is kept to a minimum.”
Debbie Leach, Chief Executive of the river clean up charity Thames21, said: “This survey gives a voice to the silent majority who agree with plans which are vital for the future of the River Thames. Not everyone can come out and volunteer with Thames21 to clean and green the Thames, although many thousands do – but this poll shows there is massive and widespread support to build the Thames Tunnel and tackle vile and damaging sewage in our river.”
Carlo Laurenzi OBE, Chief Executive of London Wildlife Trust, said: “The public is backing the idea of a cleaner Thames and so are the groups and charities who work with them. Londoners can see for themselves that the tunnel is an important component for the long-term health of the River Thames. A less polluted river would create greatly improved conditions for a wide range of wildlife and for people’s enjoyment of it. The public have spoken, so now let’s get on with it!”
Dave Harvey, Chairman of Thames Anglers Conservancy, said: “This report shows that Londoners believe the tidal Thames is an under-used resource and given the millions of tonnes of sewage that are dumped each in year, they are correct. Our goal is to see the tunnel built and kids of all ages returning to the foreshore, maybe catching their first ever fish from the diverse range of species that will return.”
Thames Water’s three rounds of public consultation for the project ended on 4 July 2012. They saw the company:
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issue over 350,000 letters to customers in potentially directly affected boroughs
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publish 50 local newspaper adverts
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hold over 130 drop-in sessions, attended by over 8,000 people
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attend over 100 public meetings and other events
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establish a project website, attracting over 180,000 visitors
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answer 1,500 letters relating to the project
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process over 9,800 consultation responses.
Notes
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Com Res conducted the telephone survey between 24 May and 3 June 2012.
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The sample included 1000 from all London boroughs and a further 1,400 from the 14 riverside boroughs potentially directly affected by the project. There was a minimum sample of 100 in each of these boroughs, except in the City of London where only 77 were possible. The remaining 23 interviews were allocated among the other 13 boroughs.
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Along with two other projects already underway – the Lee Tunnel and the upgrade of five sewage works on the tidal River Thames – the Thames Tunnel is urgently required to tackle the 39 million tonnes of untreated sewage that overflows into the river in a typical year from the capital’s overstretched sewerage network, masterminded by Sir Joseph Bazalgette over 150 years ago.
Environment Agency officers who acted decisively to stop a spillage of red diesel devastating a South London river today (Monday 2 July) are calling on local residents to provide any information regarding the source of the pollution.
Specialist Environment Agency officers were swiftly on the scene this morning at the River Wandle at Wandle Park in Croydon to deal with the pollutant and to stop it from causing significant environmental damage.
The team, assisted by Thames Water Utilities Limited and on site engineering contractors, averted disaster by containing several hundred litres of oil by using booms and by tankering away the oil. The Environment Agency is now appealing for any information on where the leak originated from and is urging the public to come forward with any details on who may be responsible for the incident.
Matt Higginson of the Environment Agency said: “This incident had the potential to seriously pollute the river and cause a great deal of environmental damage. We urgently need to trace the source of the leak as soon as possible to prevent any further risk of pollution. “I urge anyone who may have any information on where the diesel is coming from to contact us immediately so we can stop it posing any further threat to the local environment. We are also very keen to receive any information on who is responsible for this pollution. “A full investigation into the incident is underway and surveys of the affected stretch of river will take place to assess the impact of any ecological impact over coming weeks.”
Members of the public with any information on the incident can call the Environment Agency’s 24 hour hotline on 0800 807060.
Eleven angling, fisheries, shooting and countryside organisations have joined forces to call for cormorants and goosanders to be added to the General Licence as part of a National Management Plan because of the damage they are doing to fish stocks on rivers and lakes.
They have issued a joint statement in advance of the imminent conclusion of a review into the licencing of control of piscivorous birds which is being carried out by DEFRA, with input from Natural England, the RSPB, the Environment Agency and the Angling Trust. An announcement of any changes to licensing is not expected until the end of 2012, but these organisations will be encouraging their members to contact their MPs to allow fishery managers greater freedom to control bird numbers without expensive and time-consuming red tape.
The joint statement was presented to Environment and Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon MP by Angling Trust chief executive Mark Lloyd on behalf of the Angling Trust, Angling Trades Association, Atlantic Salmon Trust, Avon Roach Project, British Association of Shooting and Conservation, Countryside Alliance, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Predation Action Group, Salmon & Trout Association, The Rivers Trust, Wild Trout Trust.
JOINT STATEMENT: Our organisations urge the Governments of England and Wales to set out a national management plan to reduce the impact of cormorants and goosanders to protect fish stocks as part of healthy aquatic ecosystems and to preserve the social and economic value of fisheries. This national management plan should include adding cormorants and goosanders to the general licence to allow fishery and wildlife managers to protect their fish stocks, along with a wide range of lethal and non-lethal methods of impact mitigation. The current licensing system is over-bureaucratic, expensive and fails to enable fishery managers to take proportionate action to protect fish stocks.
Fisheries are typically granted licences to shoot to scare a fraction of the birds present on their fisheries, after a lengthy application process. Making this change would cut red tape in line with the Government’s objectives and would bring England & Wales’ management regimes into line with continental neighbours such as France. We do not take this position lightly, but we do so on the basis of clear evidence that these two species have grown, and continue to grow to unsustainable population numbers; overwintering cormorants have increased from around 2,000 in the early eighties to nearly 25,000 in recent years.
Cormorants eat over 1lb of fish in a day. In many rivers, silver fish populations are only able to survive in numbers in town centre locations where cormorants and goosanders are fewer in number. We do so also because fish stocks are already under threat from a range of pressures, including over-abstraction, pollution and habitat damage, which collectively reduce fish populations’ capacity to regenerate. Freshwater aquatic environments are severely degraded and highly managed and that context justifies much more intensive management of these piscivorous birds. Currently, 60% of rivers in this country are failing the EU Water Framework Directive's requirement to reach good ecological status by 2015, largely because fish stocks are so low. Many of our organisations have programmes of work to improve the condition of the water environment for the benefit of all wildlife. Many cormorants are of the sub-species Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis, and there is no evidence that this inland bird has any history of existence in the UK before the last few decades. Goosanders were also not recorded in the UK in any significant number before the last century.
Their massive growth in numbers has upset the natural balance of our freshwater environment. A petition organised by the Avon Roach Project, with more than 16,000 signatures, was recently presented to Environment Minister Richard Benyon calling for the addition of these fish-eating birds to the general licence. The Angling Trust’s Cormorant Watch web site has recorded more than 70,000 sightings by anglers in the past year.
Veteran wildlife film-maker Hugh Miles, speaking on behalf of the group, said: “I have been studying and filming aquatic wildlife for the past 40 years and I am a passionate bird lover and life-long member of the RSPB. I have witnessed in that time the huge growth in the number of cormorants and goosanders and the impact they have had on fish populations. Respect for our fish for their own sakes is long overdue, let alone as a vital part of our freshwater ecosystems. Without fish, the decline of our rivers and lakes and their wildlife could be disastrous.”
Thames Water has been fined for twice letting raw sewage seep into a brook in Oxfordshire following a case brought the Environment Agency.
The water company pleaded guilty to causing the sludge to enter Sandford Brook, Abingdon, last year. The Environment Agency began proceeding against Thames Water after blockages had come from a manhole in February 2011 and then from a land drainage pipe a month later.
Thames Water was ordered pay a total of £15,515 at Oxford Magistrates Court, which included a fine of £8,000.
Environment Agency officer Jack Knight said "The failure to carry out a proper identification and investigation of the cause of the initial blockage, and to carry out the appropriate remedial works at an early stage, fell well below the standards expected and caused the second incident."
A spokesman for Thames Water said: "We deeply regret both of these incidents. "The first was caused by rags and sticks caught on a displaced rubber seal, which blocked a sewer resulting in sewage spilling into the brook, and the second incident was caused by the sewer collapsing when we tried to cut out the rubber seal. "Since then we have replaced an 80-metre section of the pipe to significantly reduce the chances of this happening again."
South West Water has been ordered to pay £18,820 in fines and costs for allowing sewage to pollute the Menalhyl River near St Columb in North Cornwall, The case was brought by the Environment Agency.
On August 3, 2011 an Agency officer was carrying out monitoring work on the River Menalhyl when she found signs of pollution. Inspecting the river more closely, the officer found sewage leaking out of one of the main sewers that feed into St Columb Sewage Treatment Works. The river flows into a designated bathing water at Mawgan Porth, some seven kilometres downstream of St Columb. Further checks showed that a member of the public had reported a similar leak from the same sewer manhole on July 17, 2011.
South West Water attended, but was unable to completely clear a blockage that was causing the leak, so called in a specialist firm to ‘jet’ the sewer. A significant build-up of silt was discovered in the sewer. To prevent further sewage spills, the water company carried out a full ‘sewer clean’. The blockage was finally cleared on August 10, 2011 after contractors removed a total of 16 tonnes of silt and debris from the sewer over 20 days. There were further problems at St Columb on August 19, 2011 when South West Water reported a cracked sewer close to the sewage treatment works.
There was no pollution as sewage was tankered away before it reached the river. However, on September 7, 2011 the Agency was called to the area again after sewage was found leaking from the same location as the incidents on July 17 and August 3 and was polluting the River Menalhyl.
‘This pollution was caused by South West Water’s inability to respond speedily to repeated sewer blockages. The company’s failure to take prompt action resulted in pollution of the River Menalhyl over an extended period of time. This adversely affected water quality and put animals and plantlife at risk ,’ said Stephen Clark for the Environment Agency.
Appearing before Bodmin magistrates yesterday (June 20), South West Water of Peninsula House, Rydon Lane, Exeter was fined a total of £15,000 and ordered to pay £3,820 costs after pleading guilty, at an earlier hearing, to three offences of discharging poisonous, noxious or polluting matter into a tributary of the River Menalhyl near St Columb, Cornwall in breach of the Environmental Permitting regulations 2010.
The Environment Agency provisional Water Situation report for May shows encouraging news for the Southeast region after the prolonged dry period
Summary – May 2012
Despite some heavy rainfall at the beginning of the month, the total monthly rainfall for May was below the long term average. Groundwater levels are rising and responding to the very high rainfall in April and continued heavy showers at the beginning of May. River flows have also responded to the rainfall and then fallen back down during the drier weather of the last 11 days.
Rainfall
A total of 80% of the long term average rainfall for May was recorded this month. This was the 12th month in the last 20 months of below average rainfall. Heavy showers and lighter more persistent rain fell over the first two weeks. The highest daily total of 29.2mm was recorded at Plumpton College (River Ouse catchment) on the 9th . This wet weather was followed by 11 days of virtually no rainfall at the end of the month. With such wet weather in April and the beginning of this month, the summer so far (April and May) has been the 2nd wettest on record for the Wey Greensand, Chichester Chalk and Arun areal units. Solent and South Downs Area has been the 3rd wettest on record. However, the last 20 months includes 2 dry winters with Cotswolds West, Berkshire Downs, Upper Thames and Cherwell areal units experiencing the 2nd driest 20 months starting in October on record.
Soil Moisture Deficit,
Recharge and Groundwater Levels Soil moisture deficits (SMDs) had been reduced to zero by the end of April, but with below average rainfall over the course of May, SMDs rose during the month to peak at almost the average for the time of year. With zero or very low SMDs at the beginning of the month coupled with the rainfall, some recharge to the groundwater occurred. In turn the groundwater levels have risen at most of the key groundwater sites, although some of these increases were just levelling off by the end of the month in response to the dry weather. 5 of the key sites remain exceptionally low (down from 10 sites last month), 3 sites are notably low, 1 site is below normal, 4 sites are now normal, 1 site is above normal and 2 sites have reached exceptionally high levels for May. Despite these increases many of the key sites remain at record lows for May.
Ashley Green remains the lowest May on record and Stonor, Well House Inn and Sweeps Lane are all at the 2nd lowest May level on their records. At Stonor and Sweeps Lane, only May 1992 has been drier and at Well House Inn the lowest May level was recorded in 1944.
River Flows
River flows were high at the start of the month and these higher flows continued into May in response to the rainfall recorded in the first two weeks of the month. Flows fell during the second half of the month, but the monthly average flows have remained quite high. Flows at Eynsham on the River Thames were the 2 nd highest on record for the end of May. Only May 1983 has been higher. Flows on the River Arun at Alfoldean and River Rother (Western) at Iping Mill were the 4 th highest on record for May. In total 23 Flood Alerts and 2 Flood Warnings were issued during May in the South East Region, split between the 1st and the 9th /10th of the month. A majority of the surface water sites have flows at normal or above. Only 3 sites are below normal, 5 sites are normal, 5 sites are above normal, 7 sites are notably high and 1 site is exceptionally high. 6 sites were below normal or lower last month.
Reservoir Storage/Water Resource Zone Stocks
Reservoir storage is close to or at 100% for the Lower Thames, Lee Valley, Farmoor, Bough Beech, Arlington and Powdermill reservoirs. Storage fell at Farmoor in the middle of the month due to water quality problems, but this was quickly resolved and storage brought back up to almost 100%. Storage has risen at Ardingly, Bewl, Darwell and Weir Wood reservoirs over the month, and only Bewl remains just below the long term average for May.
The full report can be found here
The Angling Trust and the Salmon & Trout Association have written to the Director General of the National Farmers Union (NFU) demanding a retraction of the NFU's false claims in its "Farming Delivers for Britain" campaign that 73% of rivers are in good condition and that agriculture is responsible for reductions in gross pollution since the 1990s. ( Link to AT and STA letter)
In reality most of the improvements to river water quality have been achieved through investment in sewage treatment and that agriculture remains a very significant and widespread source of pollution in rivers and lakes. Indeed, as the National Audit Office pointed out in a recent report, it's the success of water company investment that has helped reveal the true scale of diffuse pollution from agriculture. In many catchments, agriculture is by far the biggest reason why water quality and habitats are in a very poor condition.
The sad truth is that nearly three quarters of rivers in England and Wales are failing to meet Good Ecological Status, the standard for fish and plants and water quality set for a healthy river by the Water Framework Directive, with farming the second most commonly identified cause of failures. Erosion of riverbanks by stock, soil run-off, fertilisers and pesticides, spreading of slurry on saturated and compacted soil, and agricultural over-abstraction of water from rivers and groundwater are all commonplace in our countryside and cause, collectively, the death of many of our rivers by a thousand cuts.
Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust and Fish Legal said: "Agriculture is damaging fish stocks and other aquatic wildlife in nearly every river in the country to some extent. In many catchments it is the principal reason why our rivers are not teeming with fish. For the NFU to claim that our rivers are in good condition and that they are to be congratulated is laughably disingenuous to anyone who has any knowledge of the condition of our water bodies. Our lawyers often take civil legal action against farmers on behalf of our member clubs and riparian owners for gross pollution of fisheries and there is a more widespread, insidious pollution of rivers throughout the land from badly managed water, soil and animal faeces."
Paul Knight, Chief Executive of the Salmon & Trout Association said: "There are, of course, many examples of farmers and landowners working closely with fisheries groups, The Rivers Trusts and Agencies to improve rivers and fisheries, and we commend their work. To make progress, we need the NFU to be open and realistic about the scale of the impacts of its industry on the water environment and show leadership to its members about the need to take concerted action. Also, Defra must realign agricultural subsidies and grants so that farmers are compensated and rewarded for environmental protection, building on the burgeoning success of the Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) Scheme."
Thames Water have agreed a voluntary contribution of £400000 to fund the restoration of the River Crane following the devastating pollution incident in October 2011.
On the 30th October 2011 an estimated 10,000 fish were killed in the River Crane following a major pollution incident due to a failed Thames Water sewage sluice gate.
Thames Water and the Environment Agency worked around the clock to minimize further environmental damage but a seven-mile stretch of the river was heavily impacted. Fish including mature pike, eel, perch, chub, carp and barbel were wiped out along with the vibrant and colorful insects and water life following the flow of raw sewage.
Immediately after the incident Thames Water accepted full responsibility and pledged that they would fund the restoration of the river over the next five years to improve it beyond its pre-pollution state. In a significant and welcome move Thames Water has now confirmed a fund of £400,000 to support initiatives along this important river corridor.
The Crane Valley Partnership (CVP) is delighted at the opportunity offered by Thames Water. Jean Rolfe, Chair of CVP, said: “The pollution incident along the lower Crane was heart wrenching, for many local people the river offered a wonderful escape from the frenetic pace of urban life, an opportunity to see, hear and be closer to nature. For such a significant and important stretch of river to be wiped out in less than 24 hours was hard to comprehend.”
“CVP, formed of many partners with a vested interest in the Crane, including landowners, local authorities, community groups, angling clubs, wildlife and recreational groups, was therefore delighted when Thames Water proposed their voluntary investment, reinstating the river to a better condition than pre-pollution.”
The Crane Valley Partnership will be the mechanism through which the Thames Water funding will be implemented including the employment of a full time River Crane Coordinator, whose role will be to ensure projects, opportunities and funding work hard and smart to make the most of the investment offered.
David Harvey, Chairman of CVP partner, the Thames Anglers Conservancy said: “We welcome this voluntary contribution from Thames Water that will have a positive impact on the river. What will be achieved is the best possible future for the River Crane and through such healthy initial funding a platform will be created to rebuild the river for generations to come. Recovery will be slow but hopefully now secure.”
Friends of the River Crane Environment (FORCE) are a local charity and CVP partner. Rob Gray, Chair of FORCE said: "The pollution last October was a terrible event for everyone who knows and appreciates the River Crane. We have been monitoring the river and, six months later, the recovery is very limited – there are still no fish and only a limited variety of invertebrates have returned. Our members have noted that kingfishers and herons, that breed every year along the river, do not appear to be nesting this year." "FORCE is supporting this initiative so as to improve the environmental value and resilience of the river system.
We appreciate the opportunity to work closely with CVP partners to ensure that the river is more healthy and vibrant, in five years time on completion of the programme of works, than it was before the pollution occurred. Our long term aim is to achieve a healthy river which has good ecological status and is at very low risk from serious pollution incidents."
London Wildlife Trust is also very encouraged by the remedial action of Thames Water. Carlo Laurenzi OBE, at LWT said “We look forward to working with partners within the Crane Valley to continue to improve the river for people and wildlife”
Angling bodies and fisheries conservation charities reacted with despair as it was announced that the long awaited new Hydropower Good Practice Guidelines (GPG) will be delayed even further.
Following a year-long consultation with angling and fisheries interests and the hydropower industry about new good practice guidelines for hydropower developments, the Environment Agency Board has decided to launch yet another consultation into the volume of water which the industry is permitted to take out of rivers.
Angling bodies and fisheries conservation charities reacted with despair, as the guidelines which are currently being applied allow far too much water to be diverted into turbines, leaving many stretches of river suffering from low flows which have major impacts on fish, invertebrates and the whole river food chain. Damaging developments continue to be approved while this impasse continues.
The Angling Trust and the Salmon & Trout Association have met with the Agency and hydropower developers about 30 times in the past 12 months to discuss revision of the guidelines, laying particular emphasis on the requirement for sufficient flow to be left in the main river to protect all fish species and their habitat. We were expecting a new version in the next few weeks, especially as publication has already been delayed by several months. A coalition of angling and fisheries bodies today called on the Environment Agency to put a halt to any new hydropower developments until the new guidelines are approved.
They believe that the current guidelines are not fit for purpose and that to allow further developments without greater protections being in place would be irresponsible as hydropower installations will be in place for decades.
A spokesman for the coalition said: "we have committed to weeks of meetings over the past year to provide our input to the Hydropower Review Group. It is utterly frustrating that the Environment Agency has chosen to sit on the fence between protecting river flows and allowing the spread of turbines throughout our river network. No further developments should be approved until proper guidelines are put in place to protect wildlife, including fish stocks which support the employment of 37,000 people in the angling industry."
Government statistics state that run of river hydropower could generate an absolute maximum of 0.5% of electricity needs in England and Wales, but this would not be achieved because not all sites are viable. A more likely figure is around 0.1 – 0.2%. The coalition comprises the Angling Trust, Afonydd Cymru, Atlantic Salmon Trust, Institute ofFisheries Management, The Rivers Trusts, the Salmon & Trout Association and the Wild Trout Trust.
The report outlines the company’s response to all the comments it received during the 14-week consultation, which ran from 4th November 2011 to 10th February 2012.
It confirms the project’s preferred sites for construction work remain unchanged, but pledges an ongoing dialogue with local people to modify proposals, where possible, to try and reduce impacts on surrounding communities. Full Report
On 6 June, Thames Water will announce details of changes made in response to feedback it received in relation to four specific sites, all required for construction work to connect London’s most polluting ‘combined sewer overflows’ (CSOs) to the ’Supersewer’, planned to run broadly beneath the river bed:
Barn Elms; change to access road
Putney Embankment Foreshore; modified site location
Victoria Embankment Foreshore; new design for the permanent works
Albert Embankment Foreshore; change to access road.
None of the proposed changes involve moving to another site completely. The ‘targeted’ consultation will end 28 days later on 4 July (5pm) and is line with the project’s ‘Statement of Community Consultation’, a legally-required document, published on4 November 2011.
Thames Water is notifying residents and businesses within at least 250 metres of the targeted consultation sites by letter, with local newspaper adverts also appearing in the affected areas (17-18 May).
The company has also arranged the following drop-in sessions for people in the targeted consultation areas to find out more about the proposed changes and ask any questions they may have of the project team:
Phil Stride, Head of London Tideway Tunnels at Thames Water, said: “In the 18 months since we first began public consultation for the project, we have worked extremely hard to consult people potentially affected. First and foremost, we are very grateful to everyone who has let us know their views, both for and against the project or the preferred sites. I can personally assure everyone who participated in the process that every step of the way we have carefully taken on board the content of every feedback form, every letter and every petition we have received. Most importantly, where possible we have made changes to reflect the concerns people have raised. The new targeted consultations for our proposed sites at Barn Elms, Putney Embankment, Victoria and Albert Embankment are evidence of our ongoing determination to listen and make changes where they are practically possible within the scope of this critical but challenging project.
Unfortunately, there are no easy or disruption-free options for building this much-needed piece of infrastructure, but we remain as determined as ever to reduce the impacts at the proposed sites as much as possible, whilst ensuring we deliver value for money. During phase two consultation for example a wide number of individuals and organisations called on us to use the river more to transport materials to and fro during the construction phase. We have taken this on board and are now proposing to transport an additional 425,000 tonnes of materials, and 11 per cent increase compared to the proposals made at phase two consultation”.
This summer there will be a further extended period for the public to review Thames Water’s finalised proposals for the Thames Tunnel’s construction and operation. The exact timings have still to be confirmed, but this ‘Section 48 publicity’ will last for a minimum of six weeks.
Early in 2013, the company is scheduled to submit its finalised proposals for scrutiny by the Planning Inspectorate, established to review major projects of national significance. Main construction for the project is planned to begin in 2016. Starting in Acton in west London, the Thames Tunnel is proposed to run 15 miles to Abbey Mills in Stratford in the east of the capital, where it would join up with the Lee Tunnel, already under construction, to transfer the overflows to Beckton Sewage Treatment Works for processing. Currently CSO discharges occur once a week on average, when the capital’s Victorian sewer network fills to capacity, sometimes after as little as 2mm of rainfall.
The number of responses received by Thames Water during phase two public consultation for the Thames Tunnel doubled to 6,000, compared to the 3,000 received during the first phase of consultation for the project (10 September 2010 – 14 January 2011).
The sites attracting the most comments were: Carnwath Road Riverside (Fulham): 3,138 responses, 2 petitions King Edward Memorial Park Foreshore (Shadwell): 1,519 responses, 1 petition Chambers Wharf (Bermondsey): 639 responses Deptford Church Street (Deptford): 217 responses, 3 petitions.
Campaigners opposing the proposed site at King Edward Memorial Park Foreshore submitted the petition with the biggest number of signatories (over 10,000) collected since the close of phase one public consultation.
During phase two consultation, Thames Water held over 57 drop-in sessions at 23 venues fromActonto Beckton, attracting approximately 2,221 visitors. Thames Tunnel project representatives also attended 48 other meetings and briefings with community groups and other interested stakeholders. Of those who completed feedback forms, 696 people felt they had been provided with enough information, compared to 370 who did not.
