As many people know by now, Thames Water propose to construct a 14 mile long tunnel under the bed of the Thames to help prevent sewage and stormwater overflows from entering the river. On closer examination of all the facts, as we have been able to unearth them, the BCA is now by no means certain that Barn Elms is the most suitable place for a main construction site for the Tunnel.
Thames Water have held a series of consultation meetings along the route of the tunnel from October onwards, including two at the Wetlands, and now are asking for feedback from locals by 14/01/11. If you missed the consultations you can still see Thames Water's leaflets at the BCA (ring Julia on 8878 2359) and get a questionnaire from her. Or you can go to www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk and click on "have your say".
The Barnes Community Association has now set up its own petition to oppose these plans at www.gopetition.com/petition/41221.html
The main effects on Barnes would come from a proposed major excavation site in the south east corner of Barn Elms Playing Fields, which will take up between two and four Rugby pitches for seven years from 2013 to 2020. There would need to be an access road to the site. The two alternatives currently proposed for this are Queen Elizabeth Walk and a temporary road along the north bank of Beverley Brook. Neither Thames Water nor the BCA are happy about this and Thames Water are also considering a third route crossing the Brook by the bridge at the north end of Putney Lower Common and then following the route of the cycle track along the east edge of the Common past Putney Hospital to join the Lower Richmond Road near the roundabout with Queen's Ride.
THE BCA'S VIEW
The BCA believe that Thames Water have made their case for the construction of a tunnel. What we do not believe is that Barn Elms is the right place for the main site for the construction of the west (Hammersmith to Battersea) section of this tunnel.
At a meeting on 17/11/10 in the Lowther School our MP Zac Goldsmith tried extremely hard to get Thames Water to give a straight answer on why they prefer Barn Elms over other sites on this stretch, notably Hammersmith Embankment, a brownfield site left after the demolition of a brewery, which was actually for sale during this last year. To date we have received only a document proving exhaustively that Barn Elms is the best site in Richmond, but merely restating without evidence TW's contention that it is the best site anywhere, even though that same document states that a site just to the east of Battersea Power Station would be suitable on all grounds except cost.
Our own objections to the use of Barn Elms are as follows:
- It is a Greenfield site, and also Metropolitan Open Land. The two other sites are neither.
- Its use will generate greatly increased traffic, not only in Barnes but also in East Sheen and/or Roehampton before either the A316 or the A3 can be reached. Hammersmith Embankment is within 200m of the A4.
- It will reduce the number of playing fields available (mainly to schools) on the Wandsworth part of Barn Elms for seven years, with a knock-on effect on BEST's half, as some matches will have to be relocated.
- A temporary access road across the playing fields will be a potential danger to players, many of them children. It will also inevitably undo part of what BEST is planning to do in the next two years.
- The proposal to remove spoil and bring in materials by barge though welcome will undoubtedly disrupt rowers as this is an area where they have to hug the bank when going upstream against the tide. There are races on this stretch of the river on many weekends, not to mention the Boat Race. In contrast Hammersmith Embankment is in an area little used by rowers, and Battersea is on a stretch where few races take place.
- Barn Elms has been designated as a site that can be deliberately flooded to avoid floods elsewhere.
- The Ranelagh Estate is immediately adjacent to the proposed site.
- Lights and noise will also disturb resident wildlife such as bats, and birds heading for the Wetlands.
WHAT TO DO NOW
There are still opportunities to question Thames Water about this. Zac Goldsmith and Justine Greening have between them negotiated an extension of Thames Water's consultation period till 5pm on Friday 14th January 2011. We urge you to take advantage of this; get a copy of Thames Water's Consultation Document from Julia at Rose House (between 0930 and 1200 on weekdays), fill it in in the light of what is now known, even if you have previously done so differently, and send it to them by the due date. We also urge you to sign the petition which the BCA is organising, not against the Tunnel itself, which we regard as an imaginative if overdue solution to the pollution of London's river, but to the highly unsuitable choice of Barn Elms as the main drive site, a choice which we consider to have been driven entirely by considerations of cost. You can sign the petition online here, or at Rose House or many on the local shops.
You could also write to your local councillor protesting about this choice. We understand that the use of Metropolitan Open Land requires parliamentary procedures if the local council (your Council) refuses to play ball.
To see a full-sized version of the pdf file, click here.
This is an edited version of this article. The full version can be found on the BCA web site here.
