THAMES SEWAGE TUNNEL - DRIVE SHAFT & BARN ELMS

[LouDes72]

As a mum in Putney I oppose plans for one of the Thames Water Tunnel Main Drive Shafts to be constructed on Barn Elms SW13, Leaders Gardens SW15, the foreshore, adjacent to Barn Elms or the Boat Repair yard, off Putney Embankment on the basis that the chaos from 7 years of construction and loss of open space outweigh any benefits. An industrial or Brownfield site should be found. Pls let everyone you know about this so we can get as many signatures as possible, thanks so much.

URGENT ACTION REQUIRED by 6th December 2010.

TAKE ACTION to stop this happening now;
? SIGN THIS ONLINE PETITION www.gopetition.com/petition/40513.html HERE AND AVAILABLE FROM BUSINESSES DISPLAYING THE POSTER AND WWW.PUTNEYSW15.COM
? GO TO Facebook STOPtheSHAFT - PUTNEY&BARNES
? Complete and return Thames Water?s Consultation Questionnaire by 20th December by visiting their website www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk to feedback your comments /objections online.
? You can also contact us at: [email protected]
? CONTACT YOUR COUNCILORS AND MPS STATING YOUR OBJECTIONS AND ASKING FOR SUPPORT.


THAMES SEWAGE TUNNEL ?MAIN DRIVE SHAFT SITE? - THE IMPACT ON PUTNEY AND BARNES

Thames Water propose to use either Barn Elms public playing fields (this is their preferred site), Leaders Gardens SW15, the foreshore, adjacent to Barn Elms, the Boat Repair yard, off Putney Embankment or the adjacent Tow Path region for one of the two Main Drive Shaft Sites for the 21mile Thames Sewage Tunnel.

This is one of the largest construction projects planned for London this century and it will have a huge disruptive impact on this area; not just for the estimated 7 years building duration, but forever.

This information has been compiled by a group of West Putney and Barnes residents, who, although wholly in favour of a cleaner, sewage free, river Thames, believe that the choice of Barn Elms. Leaders Gardens and the boat repair yard are ill considered, and will cause major disruption to well-established, highly popular river-based sports and towpath-based activity.

We have researched this project extensively, and have collated all the public literature that Thames Water has produced, for you to study. We have identified at least 6 alternative sites, some Brownfield, some industrial, close by which would not have the catastrophic environmental impact choosing the above listed sites will have.

You have until 20th December 2010 to make Thames Water (www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk) aware of any objections you have to their proposed destruction of a unique, historic, beautiful area.

THE FINAL CHOICE OF SITE HAS NOT BEEN MADE YET
To help us persuade Thames Water, Richmond & Wandsworth councils that constructing on Barn Elms, Leaders Gardens or the boat yard would be a disaster, PLEASE:

* Sign and return this petition by 6th December 2010. Barn Elms and the other two sites were proposed because Hammersmith Council and 2,000 Hammersmith residents set up a petition objecting to the actual tunnel its self.

* Complete and return Thames Water?s Consultation Questionnaire by 20th December by visiting their website www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk to feedback your comments /objections online.

* Contact Wandsworth, Thamesfield Ward councillors, let your views be known and ask for their support:
Edward Lister: [email protected]
Rosemary Torrington: [email protected]
Jim Madden: [email protected]
or any other Wandsworth councillor.

* Contact Richmond, Barnes Ward councillors, let your views be known and ask for their support:
Paul Hodgins: [email protected]
Rita Palmer: [email protected]
Christine Percival: [email protected]

* Contact Putney?s MP Justine Greening: [email protected] let your views be known and ask for their support:

* Richmond?s MP Zac Goldsmith: [email protected] let your views be known and ask for their support:

* Richmond Councils Head of Parks, David Allistar: [email protected]

* PLA Assistant Harbour Master: [email protected] let your views be known and ask for their support:

Further details can be found at
Facebook STOPtheSHAFT - PUTNEY&BARNES
www.putneysw15.com
[email protected]

FIND OUT MORE:
Thames Water have chosen, as their ?Preferred Site? the south-eastern section of the public playing fields at Barn Elms near to Beverley Brook and the Towpath where one of the old combined sewer overflows (CSO) is situated. They have are also considering Leaders Gardens SW15, the foreshore, adjacent to Barn Elms or the Boat Repair yard, off Putney Embankment as sites for the main drive sharft site.

Thames Water intends to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 7 years. They will need arc lights for night work and do not deny that residents and businesses will feel the drilling only 108.5 feet (35meters) below ground at this part of the tunnel. They require an area of land the size of 3 /4 football pitches for the construction work, which will include:

* A 25meter (77.5 feet) diameter drive shaft sunk from ground level to a depth of approximately 35meters (108.5 feet).
* Site offices & workshops.
* Areas for storing and loading the concrete segments of the tunnel.
* Plant to mix concrete & deliver it to the work face.
* Cranes to deliver the segments to the work face.
* Plant to remove, store and process upwards of a million tons of excavated material.
* Jetties and wharves built out into the Thames to moor the barges used to bring goods to and remove excavated material from, the site.
* Conveying structures to move the excavated material to the barges and trucks.
* Parking and garaging of site trucks and equipment.
* A local road network for heavy plant etc. to service the project.

Thames Water plan to run the tunnel under the towpath, from Hammersmith Bridge to the Barn Elms Main Drive Shaft Site, then under Leader?s Gardens SW15 to enter the Thames close to the bottom of Festing Road SW15. They intend to build at least one road across Barn Elms, either from Queen Elizabeth Walk, opposite the London Wetlands Centre or along the southern perimeter of the sports field from Rocks Lane, and use the local road network. They estimate approximately 3 or more trucks an hour, 24/7.

Barn Elms playing fields are part of the Borough of Richmond, but administered by the Borough of Wandsworth. 10 schools, some private, some state, currently use Barn Elms playing fields regularly.

The towpath, responsibility of the PLA, is designated as a Special Site of Metropolitan Interest. The PLA maintains the towpath trees, many of which may have to be felled. There is evidence of both Bronze Age and Roman settlements close to Beverley Brook and the Embankment. The Beverley Brook Nature Walk, Barnes Common Nature Reserve and The London Wetlands Centre, a National Site of Special Scientific Interest, will all be affected by the noise, vibrations and lights. The towpath, part of the southwest London ?Bat Corridor?, will be severely affected. Water sports on this beautiful, unique and famous stretch of the Thames will be disrupted for safety reasons. There are currently at least a 12 rowing or sculling races, some of which attract national and international competitors, the Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race, sailing regattas and other water-associated activities held annually on this stretch of the Thames, all of which bring great business advantages to Putney. All will be disrupted.

When the construction work is complete, two substantial, permanent, above-ground structures will have been built. A machine will be used to dig this section of the main tunnel into the ground and remove the excavated material. We will be left with a ventilation column (approximately 15m high and 3m diameter) and a building (approximately 10m high, 12m wide and 20m long) to provide ventilation and filtering of the air in the tunnel which will mean Putney and Barnes will be at risk the of smell of sewage.

TAKE ACTION, SIGN This ONLINE PETITION HERE, AVAILABLE FROM BUSINESSES DISPLAYING THE POSTER AND ON WWW.PUTNEYSW15.COM AND GO TO Facebook STOPtheSHAFT - PUTNEY&BARNES, PUTNEYSW15.COM You can also contact us at: [email protected]