Thames Water is seeking views on revised plans for its proposed Thames Tunnel, designed to tackle the 39mt of raw sewage which enter the Thames annually, reducing the impact of construction by making greater use of brownfield sites.
The new proposals for construction sites for the 7.2m diameter tunnel to take sewage along the line of the Thames from Acton to Abbey Mills features three new locations.
The greenfield Barn Elms playing fields site has been replaced by the brownfield Carnwath Road in Fulham, kings Stairs Gardens in Rotherhithe is replaced by Chambers Wharf in Bermondsey and Tideway Walk in Battersea is replaced by Kirtling Street.
"We have been working hard to refine our original plans, where possible, in the light of the concerns people have raised with us," said Thames Water head of London tideway tunnels Phil Stride.
"This has resulted in some significant changes, also reflecting our absolute determination to balance overall disruption with the equally important need to ensure that the price tag remains affordable for our customers. There are no easy choices when it comes to selecting construction sites, but our focus during this latest phase of consultation will be to work with communities around our revised list of preferred sites to ensure we understand and address their concerns effectively. It is particularly important that we listen to local people's views on what individual sites should look and feel like after construction work has finished."
The new plans also envisage transporting 90% of spoil from main drive sites by rail or water.
There has been substantial pressure on the water company to come up with a lower cost alternative, but the Environment Agency has now given its support to the scheme.
"London's sewerage network has nearly reached its capacity. In future due to increased population and volume of sewage it will exceed its capacity," said chairman Lord Smith.
"This will steadily worsen the impact of the overflows as they will spill sewage more frequently into the river. Doing nothing is not an option. We consider the Thames Tunnel the best solution available to limit pollution from sewage in the Thames. We will continue to work closely with both the Government and Thames Water as the second phase of consultation progresses over the next 14 weeks."
Views are required by 10 February 2012.
