A petition with 800 signatures has been handed to Thames Water by residents who fear a small pocket of greenery in West Kensington will be concreted over as part of its flood alleviation plans.
Thames Water is considering using the small square in Barons Court Road, near the Bhavan Hindu Centre, as part of its Counters Creek plans to tackle rain water flooding.
The protesters' cause was given a major boost when Hammermsith & Fulham Council also criticised much of the water company’s Counters Creek plans.
Leader Stephen Cowan said alternative sites must be found which do not blight and negatively impact the surrounding area.
Since getwestlondon reported on fears that the parcel of green space in Barons Court Road could be ripped up, countless signs have popped up around the square in protest at Thames Water’s plans.
Among those leading the fight was Kate Jakobsson. She said that the article made people aware of what was at stake.
She said: “People did not understand how severe this was. They thought it was someone digging a ditch and that was it. People realised how bad it was and how it would affect them.”
Speaking earlier in the year, she said: “It could be knocked down and replaced with a sewage chimney and square box. In my opinion that would be criminal to take down such beautiful trees, it would be so sad not to have them there any more.
“My neighbours all feel the same, the plans sadden all of the residents in the square. We have been writing letters to Thames Water to get our views across.”
The Counters Creek scheme is designed to alleviate flooding caused from rain water, a problem which Ms Jakobsson and Mr Cowan accept are real issues which need addressing.
But the Labour leader said many residents had a right to feel angry and confused.
He has held talks with the water board and said afterwards: “Some of the sites proposed by Thames Water are simply unacceptable.
“We called them in to the Town Hall to make it very clear that we will fight them all the way.
“The positive news is that they have agreed to work with us, albeit at the eleventh hour, to see if they can find better sites that would minimise the impact on local residents and businesses.
“Everyone agrees with the aims of the works. Sewage in your basement is horrendous, But it is not right that Thames Water should blight other people’s lives to fix this.
“There are better sites and we will work with residents to help Thames Water find them. They have now agreed to work with council officers to find less disruptive sites and a further round of detailed consultation with local people will follow.”
His point was backed-up by Ms Jakobsson, who has argued that Thames Water should look at a brownfield site nearby on Gwendwr Road for the work, rather than Barons Court Road.
Thames Water said: “The proposed Counters Creek sewer flooding alleviation project is essential to ensure that the many customers in the local area who have suffered from the misery of sewer flooding are better protected in the future.
“We will be working intensively with the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham to ensure that we have investigated all potential sites before we select the preferred route and sites which will go forward to our next stage of consultation.”
The petition was handed to Thames Water by protesters, who were joined by Councillor Larry Culhane, on June 25.
