The final decision is expected by tomorrow, Friday 12 September, on Thames Water's planning application for a massive excavation site at Carnwath Road on the riverside in south Fulham, for the £4.2bn concrete tunnel.
Residents and the council argue that the huge construction zone should be moved away from people's homes and local schools, saying the detrimental impact of the eight-year construction works on people's health and the quality of life in the local area, could be avoided, if construction works were moved over the river to Barn Elms.
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"In a dramatic u-turn in November 2011 Thames Water named the Fulham riverside as their new preferred site for their controversial £4.2billion concrete tunnel - after originally naming a patch of open space in Barn Elms, Richmond," explained Councillor Wesley Harcourt, the council's cabinet member for the environment.
"The human cost of Thames Water's super sewer plans for south Fulham will be so much greater than they would be at Barn Elms. The devastating sewer proposals would see south Fulham homes blighted, roads congested and school children and vulnerable residents all at risk from noxious fumes."
The council has written to Elizabeth Truss, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, setting out the reasons the construction site should be relocated.
(CD/JP)
