Why the Super Sewer is bad for Chelsea & Fulham
Thames Water has announced that Carnwath Road in Fulham is its preferred Super Sewer construction site in west London.
The Thames Tunnel, or Super Sewer, as it has become known, would stretch 20 miles along the route of the Thames, from Hammersmith to Greenwich. It is a major infrastructure project subject to a special planning process and, ultimately, Government approval. The estimated costs have risen steadily and are now £4.1 billion, which would be met through a permanent increase to water bills of at least £70-80 per year.
Thames Water originally identified Barn Elms in Richmond as its preferred ‘main bore’ site. However, it has now decided to name Carnwath Road as its western choice instead.
Work would also occur in Chelsea at both Cremorne Gardens and the Royal Hospital.
6+ years of construction in residential area
Carnwath Road is located along the Thames in south Fulham, just off the Wandsworth Bridge Road. Its use will involve digging miles of the tunnel from this residential area.
Construction would begin in 2016 and not end for at least six years. Construction operations would be 24-hour and the disruption faced by local residents, schools and businesses would be enormous.
It will also delay redevelopment of the site, leaving a second wave of building work to follow.
29,000 heavy lorry movements through Chelsea & Fulham
Thames Water plan to move all plant and construction materials by road. Should construction go ahead at Carnwath Road, at least 29,000 lorry movements will be required, producing six years of traffic misery. The route they have identified would see large trucks thundering along King’s Road, New King’s Road and Wandsworth Bridge Road.
Lorry trips would average 31 per day for two years during main tunnelling and peak at 33 per day when the tunnel is being lined. The lorries will be used to take machinery (eg cranes and excavators), precast concrete segments for the tunnel wall, ready-mixed concrete, and aggregates.
Despite Thames Water’s own transport strategy suggesting it would be possible for nearly half of the remaining material to go by barge, only excavated spoil will be taken via the river. No assessment has been made by Thames Water of the impact on congestion.
Legacy stink pipe
If the works do go ahead at Carnwath Road, after the 6+ years of construction, that won’t be an end to the matter. As the image to the left shows, a permanent ‘ventilation shaft’ would be left behind - in other words a stink pipe in the local area.
You must take part in consultation to stop Super Sewer chaos in Chelsea & Fulham
The consultation runs until 10th February 2012, and it is essential that as many local residents and organisations respond as possible. The online response form can be found at: www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk. Please copy Greg Hands M.P. into your responses.
Together we can still make Thames Water think again about using Carnwath Road, which would be a disaster for residents in Fulham, Chelsea and beyond.
Also, all residents are invited to a special public meeting on the super sewer from 7pm on Wednesday December 7th at Hurlingham and Chelsea School, Peterborough Road, SW6 3ED.