United front set to battle super sewer work

Friday September 30, 2011

Ann Rosenberg of PRARA with (in background) Lance and Sue Pierson

Angry residents have united to challenge Thames Water’s sewer construction plans that threaten to blight thousands of homes and businesses in south Fulham for nearly a decade.

The huge utility firm identified Carnwath Road as a possible site in April, and is expected to formally name a small riverside plot in Carnwath Road in Sands End as a possible site for their main ‘super sewer’ drive shaft later this year.

The massive £3.6billion concrete tunnel needs a series of construction sites along the river and south Fulham is in the firing line to be the main one in west London. The news comes just weeks before Lord Selborne’s independent commission – which is sponsored by five riverside boroughs and is examining ways of cleaning up the river – is due to make its final recommendations public.

Locally, the small riverside site will become a major construction site operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week for at least seven years if Thames Water’s current plans go ahead. A growing coalition of residents and local organisations are opposing the plans – which will cost all Thames Water customers, who are as far away as Reading and parts of Gloucestershire, an extra £120 a year for life.

Residents from Peterborough Road and Area Residents’ Associations (PRARA), have organised an Open Meeting for all South Fulham residents for Tuesday, October 18 so Thames Water representatives can respond to their personal concerns. The PRARA meeting is supported by H&F Council and RATS, (Residents Against the Thames Sewer).

Ann Rosenberg, Honorary Secretary of PRARA and a Peterborough Road resident says: “Residents’ quality of life will be severely affected by Thames Water’s plans if we do not stop them now.”

“Air pollution, smell, noise, and dust, not to mention the blight on property values will all take their toll. Thames Water says that other areas are protesting about their super sewer plans and this is why south Fulham is now at risk. Fulham’s narrow roads are likely to be permanently congested which has the added risk of slowing down emergency vehicles for the duration of the 24/7 engineering works.”

“We need to tell Thames Water that South Fulham says a resounding NO – especially as there is an alternative low impact site.”

PRARA argues there is a large area of open land in Barn Elms – well away from homes and business – that would be more suitable. Barn Elms was nominated by Thames Water as its preferred main construction site more than a year ago and there needs to be building work on the area – whatever happens with Carnwath Road – because of a connecting pipe (combined sewer overflow or CSO) that has to be linked to the super sewer, according to the utility firm.

“The idea that south Fulham has a brownfield site that won’t cause local people any disruption is nonsense,” added Ann. “Barn Elms has over 1 million sq. metres of open space and Thames Water will need less than 2%. They could choose a position which will not be detrimental to people’s lives. Fulham residents call for sewer site rethink because the heavy drilling equipment that they want to transport to this small site is alarming even though Thames Water say that they don’t need a bigger site due to new technological developments since the idea was first proposed.

“The area around Carnwath Road is a densely populated residential area with five local schools and thousands of homes including sheltered housing for the frail and elderly and specially designed homes for the severely disabled. There are homes literally yards away from the engineering site perimeter.”

The council has been fighting against the whole idea of the super sewer and against locating the main entry site works in south Fulham, within 440 yards of nearly 1,000 family homes and local schools.

Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, H&F Council leader, said: “It is totally unacceptable for Thames Water to consider blighting south Fulham with its sewer construction site and we back the residents who are opposing these plans to the hilt. The council believes there is no need for the super sewer in its current form at all. This is a view backed by numerous experts who have lined up to say there are alternative ways to clean up the river without the huge environmental, social and economic costs.”

Thames Water’s Phil Stride will answer questions about the super sewer construction site proposed for Carnwath Road at the PRARA Open Meeting on Tuesday, October 18, from 7.30pm at St Matthew’s Church in Wandsworth Bridge Road. For more information click on www.lbhf.gov.uk/supersewer or visit www.fulhamrats.org (opens new window) or www.prara.org.uk (opens new window).