Minutes:
Nick Tennant, Communications Manager from Thames Tunnel, informed the meeting that the first phase of the consultation had been completed in January 2011 and a feedback report, which was also available on-line, had been published on 31 March 2011. A presentation had also been made to King’s Stairs Garden Action group.
As a result of the consultation the overall number of sites needed may be reduced by three, including the Druid Street site. In terms of King’s Stairs Gardens, an alternative, brown-field site at Chambers Wharf had become available and had been acquired by Thames Tunnel and St James Homes. This could now be considered as an alternative site, and was being explored further.
Consultation around the site would be undertaken and exploratory drilling in the riverbed was currently being conducted. The revised plans would be published in autumn at which time the preferred site would be announced. This would be followed by a new round of consultation. Planning applications were scheduled to be submitted in June 2012. Thames Water would try to help deliver jobs and skills for young people in the area with a jobs and skills forum which were open to all.
Some residents said they were pleased with the developments regarding Chambers Wharf and thanked the King’s Stairs Gardens Action group for their work in this matter.
Responding to a question from councillors, Nick explained that Thames Water would exercise due diligence, and that the tunnels would be lower than the Jubilee line tunnels. Therefore, no subsidence or similar problems were expected.