Following opposition from local residents, Thames Water has been investigating new sites for a planned entrance to the Thames Tunnel super sewer. The previous proposed entrance was going to be located at Barn Elms, but a public consultation revealed that many locals were deeply unhappy at the prospect and in light of this Thames Water has been investigating other possibilities.

No matter where the entrance to the Thames Tunnel is situated, the site will need to be large enough to enable tunnelling equipment to be lowered down into the tunnel shaft in order so that tunnelling construction work can go ahead. Construction work at the shaft entrance will be carried out 24/7 and will last for about three and a half years, which was one of the concerns of the Barn Elms residents. The Stop the Shaft campaign group were also keen to point out that the Barns Elms site is a greenfield site as opposed to a brownfield site.

Thames Water has other potential locations for the Thames Tunnel entrance shaft. One possible site is in Fulham and is comprised of three adjacent parcels of land next to the river. This would be ideal for the movement of soil via river barges and could be an ideal access point.

There are also other potential sites that were previously discounted but are now in the process of being reconsidered by Thames Water. Three sites in Fulham—Carnworth Business Park, Hurlingam Wharf, and Whiffin Wharf were all thought to be too small, but in the light of fresh assessments of tunnelling strategies and reviews of shaft sites, Thames Water now think the sites could be a viable option. These sites are classed as brownfield as opposed to greenfield, which is another bonus as far fewer local businesses and residential areas will be affected by development of the land.

One Response to “Thames Water Propose New Entrance to Thames Tunnel”