Southwark questions need for Thames Water "super-sewer"
Published 31 October 2011
Southwark Council today backed an independent commission questioning the need for plans by Thames Water to build a £3.6bn "super-sewer" across London.
The inquiry was commissioned amid concerns that water bills would have to rise to finance the project and fears over the loss of green space and regeneration sites.
The Thames Tunnel Commission (TTC) examined whether the 20-mile tunnel from west to east London was the best solution to the problem of raw sewage entering the Thames.
Lord Selborne, who lead the commission, said: "Our forensic analysis shows there is a substantial body of evidence pointing to the fact that there is a smarter way to make the River Thames cleaner.
"A shorter tunnel, combined with green infrastructure solutions that are built up incrementally in the medium to long term, would be both compliant with EU directives and less costly and disruptive to Londoners. These alternatives require further study."
The TTC also echoed the views of hard-pressed utility customers in questioning the escalating cost of the sewer.
Lord Selborne said: "There are serious concerns about the escalating costs of the Thames Tunnel and the impact this will have on customers. Many bill-payers will be pushed into water poverty which is not acceptable when there are viable alternatives that should be explored further."
Councillor Peter John, Leader of Southwark Council, said: "As a riverside borough, we are absolutely committed to the aim of cleaning the Thames and preventing sewage leaks, but the Thames Tunnel plans appear unnecessarily disruptive and costly.
"Two sites in Southwark have been identified for possible main shafts. One is a park and the other is surrounded by housing and three schools. Neither is a suitable site for years of digging and earth moving.
"We're equally concerned that in the current economic climate, with the rising cost of living, the last thing that Londoners need is a scheme that will cost the equivalent of £70 for every single water bill-payer in the city."
The councils of Hammersmith and Fulham, Tower Hamlets, Richmond and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea also backed the commission querying Thames Water's plans.
