Central Line resumes service (Thames Water problem remains)

Mile End Residents who are regular users of Central Line services will be pleased to hear that services have now re‑started between Bethnal Green and Leytonstone.  However, there are likely to be severe delays before it's completely back to normal.

Services were suspended yesterday due to the very severe flooding which was caused by a burst Thames Water main in the Stratford area.  This fused signals and flooded the tunnels and left tube travellers stranded in the tunnels.

Transport for London appear to have worked non-stop throughout the night to

•  remove two million gallons of flood water and 
• ensure that the tunnel, signalling, power and communications equipment were repaired.

Transport for London have offered their apologies for the inconvenience caused to people's journeys on Wednesday evening and Thursday.

The reality is, of course, is that they have nothing to apologise for.

The Thames Water Problem

This major problem was totally due to:

• the way Thames Water approaches its maintenance work - with little regard for the potential impact on consumers (MERA has been very unimpressed with its approach in the past!) and 
• its total inability to take appropriate responsibility for the burst main and its impact and to communicate effectively with the residents of East London as to what was happening yesterday.

There is still no news as to when the water main will be fixed.

In an emergency, this is what Thames Water is REQUIRED to do as per the OFWAT website.  Thames Water has FAILED to deliver services to standard during this emergency.

Emergency interruptionsIf the supply fails or is interrupted for emergency works, your company should tell you:

• that the supply has been interrupted or cut off
• where to get an alternative supply
• the time by when the supply will be restored
• the phone number from which you can get further information

When is Thames Water going to start remembering that it has a responsibility to the community to manage risks and avoid messing up?

When is Thames Water going to get an awful lot better at the way it approaches necessary work to water mains and drains?

When is communication by Thames Water going to start improving?

When is OFWAT - the Regulator for water services - going to ensure performance by Thames Water improves?

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Clancey Docwra block Brokesley Street to emergency vehicles

ClanceyDocra are ignoring requirements to maintain 24/7 access for emergency vehicles into Brokesley Street by repeatedly blocking it with their vehicles during works to Site 10.

JCB blocks access of emergency vehicles to
Brokesley Street 23 January 2012
(right click image to see a larger version)

One of the conditions of the planning permission for the Eric/Treby Street Regeneration project was that there should be NO CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES in Brokesley Street due to the difficulties this presents for access by residents and, more importantly, to the 24/7 access required by emergency vehicles

Parking has been suspended at the top end of Brokesley Street over a number of days recently due to the need for water works relating to the new development on Site 10

In other words these are utility works which are directly related to the construction of the houses on Site 10 - 1-14 Brokesley Street

The suspension of parking was to allow vehicles to pass up and down the road as part of the road was cordoned off to allow works to drains.

The suspension of parking does NOT permit the road to be blocked by construction or utility companies.

Two separate incidents were witnessed within a period of 30 minutes at lunchtime on 23 January 2012 by a MERA Committee Member.

Firstly a truck was parked in the road - completely blocking the road - while it removed material. The line of the driver was that he could move at any time.  He ignores how long it takes him to get out of a street where he has to reverse up the street and into a main road to allow access by a fire engine or an ambulance.  There is no reason why a very large truck was required to remove the material.  A much smaller vehicle could have been used as has occurred elsewhere on the other regeneration sites which are part of this development.

Clancey Docwra Block access to emergency services
and local residents of Brokesley Street

Next a JCB set up - and became immobile - while it helped dig a trench.  This effectively blocked the road to emergency vehicles or local residents needing to leave their homes by car.  Hence photographs were taken.

The trench did not need to be dug by a JCB.  Trenches are dug all the time all over London without the use of a JCB.

This vehicle is being reported to Tower Hamlets Street Services
for blocking Brokesley Street on 23 January 2012

This vehicle and this infringement of the planning permission will now be reported to Parking Services and Decelopment Control respectively.

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MERA comments on Foul and Surface Water "Scheme"

Tower Hamlets Planning now have MERA's comments on Telford Homes' proposed "Scheme" to address Planning Condition 21 relating to the disposal of Foul & Surface Water from new residential units on the Eric & Treby Estate redevelopment. 

Just so everybody knows what we're talking about....

• Foul drainage removes the waste from the toilet, bath, basins, sinks, washing machines, dishwashers and showers. 
• Surface water drainage deals with rainfall as it collects around a property (eg roofs, gutters and land) 

Planning Condition 7 (application for approval not yet submitted) deals with the required scheme of water and sewerage infrastructure delivery for the whole development.  In short whether the existing water supply and sewerage system can cope with delivering an effective supply of drinking water and the disposal of waste water and sewerage (ie what needs checking before any homes can be occupied) 

Planning Condition 21 deals with the micro site level aspects (pipes and connections required and planned)  and is worded as follows

Prior to commencement of the development, with the exception of site investigation works and the digging of foundations, a scheme to dispose of foul and surface water shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

The Development shall not be carried out otherwise than in accordance the particulars so approved.

Reason: To protect and conserve water resources and to prevent increased risk of flooding and pollution of the water environment in accordance with:

• policy 4A.16 of the London Plan (Consolidated with Alterations since 2004),
• policies U2 and U3 of the Unitary Development Plan 1998 and
• policies DEV5, DEV7 and DEV21 of the Interim Planning Guidance (2007): Core Strategy and Development Control.

Summary of MERA Comments

MERA consider that this Application fails to satisfy as to the adequacy of arrangements for foul water and surface water drainage at a specific site level.  It is inadequate for the purposes of discharging this planning condition.

REASONS INCLUDED:

• This pre-commencement planning condition has already been breached at Site 14 through unlawful development in advance of the discharge of ALL pre-commencement planning conditions.  Note the drains and manhole covers in place on Site 14 on Monday evening - when the consultation did not even finish until today.
  

Drains and Manholes - development contravenes planning permission/conditions

• A Scheme is a plan of action. A Scheme requires explanation. A set of drawings is not a Scheme.  Drawings support the narrative text of a Scheme, they do not explain it.  PA/10/1159 is the application for approval of details PRIOR to commencement of the development.  If you click the link in the Application Reference you can see the quality of the documentation submitted.
• The application for approval of details fails on the grounds of accessibility for the purposes of consultation.   Technical drawings and no report renders this application completely inaccessible to most people.
• The Scheme does not revisit issues raised in the Flood Risk Assessment Scheme - as recommended in that report.  
• The Scheme for Site 10 fails to indicate how the drains connect to the main sewer.  However, in doing the research to respond to the proposal we have identified a probably reason why Brokesley Street has problems with drainage.  This is because the main drain under the road is only 300mm wide according to the documents submitted, making it the smallest drain in the area by quite some way.  It's very unlikely that Planning Condition 7 (Water and Sewerage Infrastructure) which covers capacity issues can be satisfied without a comprehensive review of what a 500+% increase in people living on Site 10 will have on the rest of Brokesley Street given the tiny size of the drain.  We will be keeping a very careful eye on this issue which generated several comments from local residenrs during the course of consultation.

As noted in section 3.1.2, there is a residual risk of sewer flooding as a result of the increase in foul sewerage requirements for the new properties on the site.
Flood Assessment

• The Scheme fails to demonstrate any awareness of the implications for pipework underground  resulting from remarks about and recommendations arising from the Expert Report on Site Contamination.   (see Eric & Treby Estate: Site Contamination)  The nature of the contamination requires protective sleeves for the pipework underground to avoid any contamination transferring into the water.  
  
• The drawings give no indication to the layman of how greywater is captured for recycling - which contravenes planning policy as well as being very silly if no effort is being made! 
• This "scheme" gives inadequate consideration to how surface water drainage will change following the soft landscaping.    

The risk of surface water flooding to and from the development will be increased as a result of the conversion of permeable to impermeable land cover.
Flood Assessment

MERA considers that the nature of concerns raised by residents (particularly those near Site 10) means that these need to be adequately addressed by the developer

• BEFORE submitting a Scheme for the disposal of foul water and surface water
• BEFORE the proposals for meeting this planning condition can be approved; and
• BEFORE the planning condition can be discharged

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