Campaigners Call Day of Action a Super Success
And follow it with final push in Sands End on Saturday
Campaigners who are fighting Thames Water's plans to build a major access shaft to the proposed Thames Tunnel, or super sewer as it is nicknamed, in Fulham's Carnwath Road have thanked local people for their support on their "Day of Action" on Saturday January 28.
They say over 1,000 local people have now completed their questionnaire - a shortened version of the one produced by Thames Water - including 400 last weekend.
They are now determined to persuade hundreds more people to join them when they make a final push this weekend by manning a stand at Sainsbury’s (Sands End) from 9.30am on Saturday 4th February.
The campaigners say they are a coalition of individuals, groups and interests including: Stop them Shafting Fulham (SSF), Residents Against the Sewer (RATS), Peterborough Road and Area Residents' Association (PRARA), Friends of South Park, Fulham Society, Fulham Riverside West Partnership who represent the landowners of the site who include developers Comer Homes and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
Of the day of action, which happened at the same time Thames Water held an extra drop-in session at Hurlingham and Chelsea School: " Volunteers manned stands at Fulham Broadway and Sainsbury’s Sands End, speaking to hundreds of local people to explain why we oppose Thames Water’s plans.
" We were a little shocked to learn how many people still didn’t know about this threat to our community, highlighting how poor Thames Waters consultation has been and how little they care about the views of local people.
" Already over 1,000 local people have completed our questionnaire, with more signing up every day. All of them have recorded their opposition to Thames Water’s plans to build a massive construction site on Carnwath Road and devastate our local neighbourhood for years.
" With this level of local opposition arrayed against them we can force Thames Water to think about the harm their proposals will do and the enormous fight they will face if they go ahead.
"Our campaign now has momentum and widespread support for a final push before the consultation deadline on 10th February. We will be writing to you again later this week with details of our next action day and other campaign activities.
" In the meantime, we need everyone to continue to spread the word about the threat from Thames Water and get all your friends, neighbours and work colleagues to complete the questionnaire before 10th February."
Thames Water say they are proposing to use the land to the south of Carnwath Road and in the foreshore of the River Thames for construction work and to accommodate permanent structures required to operate and maintain the main tunnel.
The site would be used to drive the main tunnel to Acton Storm Tanks and receive the tunnel boring machine from Kirtling Street. We would also need to use it to receive a long connection tunnel, driven from Dormay Street.
The proposed site incorporates Whiffin Wharf, Hurlingham Wharf and Carnwath Road Industrial Estate, which Thames Water collectively refer to as Carnwath Road Riverside.
Thames Water have produced an image of what the building on the Carnwath Road site, currently used for open storage, may look like.
This questionnaire, a shortened version of the one produced by Thames Water can be found here.
If you would prefer to take part in Thames Water's own consultation, go here.
February 2, 2012
