Website Launch & General News
An update from the Putney & Barnes Stop the Shaft Campaign Group
A spokesperson from Stop the Shaft commented that:
“Stop the Shaft will continue to fight to ensure that this beautiful Greenfield site right next to the river Thames is not used as a shaft for the Thames Tunnel for 3 to 7 years. We are saying “Brownfield not Greenfield”. Anyone who cares about this open Greenfield land being used as a shaft for the Thames Tunnel must come and join us and make sure that The Major knows how important it is to support us on Tuesday 15th March from 6.15pm outside The Battersea Arts Centre.
"Our objective is to stop Thames Water using the Greenfield site of Barn Elms Playing Fields to construct a shaft for the Thames Tunnel."
Breaking news
Thames Water’s Phil Stride, head of London Tideway Tunnels and Richard Aylard, External Affairs and Environment Director came to an STS committee meeting last night to explain their latest position. It seems that they have bought a site in Southwark taking pressure off Kings Steps Gardens. They are now confident in being able to tunnel both ways from Tideway Walk in Battersea. This is a major change for us, as Barn Elms would not be used as a main drive shaft for tunnelling towards Battersea. The bad news is however that TW are now proposing to drive a smaller tunnel from Barn Elms towards Acton. It seems that they would not be able to do so from their pumping station site in Hammersmith. STS are questioning this and the need for Barn Elms and will continue to fight to ensure that this Greenfield site is not used.
STS goes live on the web
The STS website went live on 28th February 2011. Visit www.stoptheshaft.org
Long term Barnes resident Alistair McGowan says:
"While acknowledging the need for improved water treatment, to spoil a wonderful natural area such as the tow-path at Barnes and Putney and to disrupt and destroy regularly-used sports areas (rugby pitches, football pitches, athletics tracks and rowing clubs), walking facilities (the much-loved Riverside walk) and the cherished, world-famous Wetlands Centre (with its collection of rare birds) as well as the excessively prolonged disruption to one of the oldest, most charming areas of London (Barnes High Street) seems like total folly and wilful folly at that. It flies in the face of so much government policy. There must be a better spot!"
STS and the Putney Society to work together on alternative solutions
The Putney Society is to consider funding a study by consultants into the feasibility of alternative solutions for Putney. STS have obtained the Combined Sewer Outfall (CSO) data, which shows that the pollution arising from the two Putney outfalls are negligible. We have also been assured that alternatives involving multi-value infiltration schemes are feasible as demonstrated in Philadelphia and Melbourne. We do not accept that the tunnel as currently proposed is the only answer to the pollution problem in the Thames.
STS and The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
We also intend to make our protest visible at The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on Saturday 9th April 2011. We will be displaying prominent banners and distributing leaflets.
Further Information; Visit www.stoptheshaft.org, Visit Facebook; STOPtheSHAFT – Putney&Barnes Email tunnel.putney@gmail.com or call Hugh Samuel on 020 8788 332
March 16, 2011
