Statement on the Thames Tunnel project
While recognising that it would be desirable to reduce the
occasional overspills of sewage into the Thames, the Cabinet of the
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea remains deeply uneasy about
the proposed Thames tunnel on which Thames Water has just begun a
14 week consultation.
Not only will the tunnel be hugely expensive - £3.6 billion on
current estimates - that cost is to be borne by Londoners directly
through their water bills, pushing many thousands into “water
poverty” as defined by the Consumer Council for Water.
At the same time as pressing ahead with this mega-costly scheme
Thames Water has just announced that it is abandoning badly needed
mains renewal works in Kensington and Chelsea. We are also
concerned that the Thames tunnel will take resources from the
much-needed enlargement of Counter’s Creek sewer, designed to
protect residents from the disastrous effects of sewage flooding
into their homes.
This in itself will have a serious impact on Royal Borough
residents but the impact of the construction of the Thames tunnel
project will also be huge: our residents face long-term disruption,
loss of amenity and loss of open space too, which is already in
short supply in this part of London.
The beautiful Chelsea Embankment will be disfigured for years by
works on the foreshore. And that work will also reduce the
carriageway, producing severe delays on this major road. There will
be similar effects along the river at Cremorne Gardens. All these
“external” costs - costs of disruption, congestion and loss of
amenity over a number of years - need to be added to the expense of
constructing the tunnel to assess its true economic cost to
London.
Because of the massive local impact we would like to be
convinced there is no alternative, and we are not. Moreover we
remain opposed in principle to the involvement of the
Infrastructure Planning Commission. That is because we simply do
not accept this scheme meets the criteria to trigger IPC
involvement. Nor did Parliament include it in the IPC’s remit,
though the scheme was well advanced in design when the Act which
created the IPC was passed. We believe that as it is Londoners who
will have to foot the bill for this scheme through higher water
bills, London’s planning committees should not be bypassed.
As the Thames tunnel is a major project with major impacts on
Royal Borough residents, we will support and facilitate the ongoing
public consultation and we shall engage actively with Thames Water
on the issues. But for all the reasons above the Council believes
that now is not the right time to be pressing ahead with this
project.
A Cabinet spokesman said, “At a time when the country is
tightening its belt, choices have to be made and priorities set.
Londoners will not understand why the Victorian mains replacement
they have paid for is being halted while the cost of a new project
of marginal utility is added to their already large water bills. It
is time for a brave Government to think again about when and
whether it would be sensible to proceed with this tunnel.”
For more information on the consultation please visit http://www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk/