Supersewer application approved for public scrutiny

Thames Water's application for its proposed "supersewer" has been approved for public scrutiny following an examination by Planning Inspectorate, it was announced yesterday.

Earlier this month, Thames submitted a 50,000 page application for the Thames Tideway Tunnel, as it is officially known, and its approval means interested parties can now register with the  Inspectorate to take part in the examination. 

Phil Stride, head of Thames Tideway Tunnel at Thames Water, said: “It’s a necessarily lengthy document, covering 24 proposed construction sites in detail, as well as project-wide issues. 

“We have made particular efforts to make the documentation easy for members of the public to navigate, with clear sign posting of issues relating to individual sites. Local residents should not need to read all of the submission, just the sections relevant to their community.” 

Once registration closes a preliminary meeting will be held, allowing registered parties to share their views on the project. When the Planning Inspectorate has concluded its examination, a recommendation on whether or not to grant approval will be submitted approximately three months later to the department for communities and local government and the department for environment, food and rural affairs secretaries of state. The final decision is expected in late summer/early autumn 2014. 

If consent is granted, Thames Water aims to start preparatory construction work on the project in 2015, with main tunnelling due to begin in 2016. The target completion date is 2023.