| Topic: | Re:Re:THAMES TUNNEL LOCAL PETITION | |
| Posted by: | Lisa MacDougall | |
| Date/Time: | 12/11/10 14:30:00 |
| Some streets off Lower Richmond Road are getting together to put signs up and do a flyer drop so that we can get as many signatures as possible. There is also a FACEBOOK page setup called StoptheShaftPutney&Thames. Attached is a petition and information currently being circulated to help keep everyone informed. PETITION: STOP THE SHAFT, PUTNEY & BARNES THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO STOP Thames Water Utilities Ltd. using Barn Elms public playing fields and the towpath or Leader’s Gardens as the location for the West London Main Drive Shaft Site for the planned and necessary Thames Sewage Tunnel. The MAIN DRIVE SHAFT SITE: • will be a large and busy building site, with 24/7 working for at least 7 years requiring constant construction vehicle access through Putney and Barnes. • will be a point at which millions of tons of excavated material will be extracted and stored during the 7 years of tunneling. This waste will be collected by trucks and industrial barges (estimated at least 5 per day), that will travel under Putney Bridge, past the rowing clubs to be loaded at a new jetty, constructed out into the river, opposite Fulham Football ground. • will require conveyor belts and industrial structures over the Thames Tow Path to move excavated material to the moored barges. I object strongly to the Barn Elms or adjacent sites being chosen for the following reasons: ? The proposed site is too close to a large number of residential homes in West Putney and Barnes and threatens this residential area with sound, light and vibration pollution. ? The access roads to the site are through residential areas, and are not suitable for the sustained volume and density of construction site traffic over the 7 years. ? Proximity to SSSI WWT Wetlands Centre, Thames Cycle Way, Barnes Common Nature Reserve, Beverley Brook Walk and SSMI Thames Tow Path (part of the southwest London Bat Corridor) and disruption of a well established, unspoilt recreational area. ? The loss of a number of football and rugby pitches at Barn Elms, used extensively by schools and clubs from Wandsworth, Richmond and Fulham. ? The planned jetty and regular stream of barges threatens Putney’s year-round rowing programme of training and racing. Putney hosts 5 rowing clubs, 2 sailing clubs, over 14 national and international rowing events, including the Boat Race. ? Long term disruption to the Thames towpath (and trees), one of London’s major recreational arteries, used extensively by walkers, runners and cyclists for recreation and commuting. ? The proposed site at Barn Elms will severely disrupt existing sporting programmes on the Thames (rowing and sailing), existing sporting programmes on the Barn Elms site (football and rugby) and existing sporting activity on the tow path (cycling, running, walking). More suitable brownfield sites can be found east of Putney Bridge. Name..................Signature.................Address..................................Post Code........... Date................... Please post at one of the participating businesses on the Lower Richmond Road, or to 139, Lower Richmond Road, Putney SW15 1EX by Monday 6th December 2010 Find out more at tunnel.putney@gmail.com Facebook “StoptheShaft-Putney&Barnes” Please use the other side of the petition for any other signatures you may have and return. Thames Water propose to choose Barn Elms public playing fields and 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 document 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 is ill considered in the extreme, and will cause major disruption to well-established, highly popular river-based sports and towpath-based activity. Constructing a Main Drive Shaft Site here is short sighted folly. We have researched this project extensively, and have collated all the public literature that Thames Water have produced, for you to study. We appreciate that fighting this is time-consuming especially if you are working, have family commitments or have no access to the internet, but there are steps that you can take to make a difference. We have identified at least 6 alternative sites, some brownfield, some industrial, close by which would not have the catastrophic environmental impact choosing Barn Elms will have. You have until 20th December 2010 to make Thames Water 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 would be a disaster, PLEASE: * Sign and return this petition by 3rd December 2010. Barn Elms was proposed because Hammersmith Council and 2,000 Hammersmith residents petitioned to oust the Main Drive Shaft Site from their borough. * Complete and return Thames Water’s Consultation Questionnaire by 20th December * Visit their website www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk to feedback your comments online. * Contact Wandsworth, Thamesfield Ward councillors, let your views be known: Edward Lister: elister@wandsworth.gov.uk Rosemary Torrington: rtorrington@wandsworth.gov.uk Jim Madden: jmaddan@wandsworth.gov.uk or any other Wandsworth councillor. * Contact Richmond, Barnes Ward councillors: Paul Hodgins: cllr.phodgins@richmond.gov.uk Rita Palmer: cllr.ritapalmer@richmond.gov.uk Christine Percival: cllr.cpercival@richmond.gov.uk * Contact Putney’s MP Justine Greening: greeningj@parliament.uk * Richmond’s MP Zac Goldsmith: zac@richmondconservatives.co.uk * Richmond Councils Head of Parks, David Allistair: d.allistair@richmond.gov.uk * PLA Assistant Harbour Master: Alex.Brown@pla.co.uk 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. Thames Water intend 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 one truck every 20 minutes, 24 hrs a day. 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 will 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 ventilation column 15 metres (46 feet) high, a building 10metres (31 feet) high, 12metres (38.5 feet) wide and 20metres (70 feet) long, to ventilate and filter the air in the tunnel, with a risk of smell. TAKE ACTION, SIGN THE PETITION INCLUDED HERE, AVAILABLE FROM BUSINESSES DISPLAYING THE POSTER AND ON WWW.PUTNEYSW15.COM Contact us at: tunnel.putney@gmail.com URGENT ACTION REQUIRED, DON’T IGNORE THAMES SUPER SEWER ‘MAIN DRIVE SHAFT SITE’ RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES, WALKERS, CYCLISTS, RUNNERS, ROWERS, SAILORS, NATURE LOVERS Thames Water wants to choose Barn Elms playing fields, close to Beverley Brook and the towpath to build one of two ‘MAIN DRIVE SHAFT SITES’ required to drill the Thames Super Sewer Tunnel. The work will be continuous for 7 years minimum A cleaner Thames is needed, buta Main Drive Shaft Site should be built on industrial land, not a unique area that includes a Special Site of Metropolitan Interest & Bat Corridor & protected trees (the towpath), close to a National Site of Special Scientific Interest (The Wetland Centre)… Barn Elms is adjacent to one of the most famous and unique stretches of river in the world (home of the University Boat Race), the Embankment Conservation Area, is close to homes and businesses, and is used as sports fields by at least 10 schools. Access to the river and towpath will be restricted during construction. The area could be disrupted by up to 10 trucks per hour accessing the site 24/7 and by arc lit construction at night. We will be left with a permanent 45meter ventilation column continuously spewing out rank air. Please sign by Friday 3rd December 2010. LET’S HELP THAMES WATER, WANDSWORTH AND RICHMOND COUNCILS AND PLA FIND A MORE SUITABLE SITE… BEFORE THIS DAMAGE IS DONE. |