tomdhu

The path of the tunnel is very close to where Underhill crosses Barry Road. If you have not had notification by letter as yet, then you should be OK so I wouldn't worry if I were you. As for the Bendy buses, they are not a contributing factor. Their axle loadings are much less than the double deckers as Bendys weigh less overall and their weight is spread over 3 axles instead of two. The underlying factor is that all of South London is built on clay of differing types all the way down to about 40M below surface level. The clay hinders the passage of water. Below that there is a band of sand (highly permeable)and then chalk also somewhat permeable. These last two layers form the main acquifier. Depending on the annual precipitation, the clay shrinks or expands. Problem is that it never reverts back exactly to where it was before when it rehydrates. Hence settlement and subsidence. Building a tunnel through that lot precipitates quite a few problems up above.

No, I'm not saying what you suggest and frankly I can't see how you could reach that conclusion. Do you work for TW? Do youown property? What I am saying is.... 1.Protect your own interests eg make sure your entitlement to compensation is not compromised in any way. 2.Get your own survey from a surveyor that is not linked to TW and be able to provide input to the survey. 3.Be aware that settlement damage is a real risk and can happen years later. 4.Get information. Being informed is better than being ignorant. 5.TW has "previous". Just be on the lookout. If your property is above the pipeline you have to notify and seek approval from TW before you undertake ANY development to your property. When you come to sell your property, you are compelled to advise the potential purchaser that there is this restriction. This means your property is blighted and it is woth less than it was. Does this help?

We have received notification from Thames Water that they are going to bore a large tunnel under our property and many others in the Dulwich area. This is part of a water ring main project and will be done by a large TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine). The tunnel will be 4.9 km long and 3.2M in diameter. There are several worrying issues arising from this. Firstly, it imposes restrictions on any future development of your house eg if you want to build an extension etc. You have to advise any potential buyer of this restriction. This will have a serious impact on the value of the house when you come to sell. Secondly, there will inevitably be some ground settlement above the line of the tunnel and this will give rise to SUBSIDENCE AND POTENTIAL DAMAGE to your house. Both these issues are very serious. Are you affected also? If you live along a line between Brixton (pumping station) and Honor Oak (golf course) then you will be affected. Here is a list of the streets starting at Brixton via Herne Hill and ending at Honor Oak:- Beechdale Road Fairmount Road Arodene Road Helix Road Leander Road Arlington Road Brailsford Road Dulwich Road Half Moon Lane Carver Road Ruskin Walk Village way East Dulwich Grove (Village End only) Gilkes Crescent Calton Avenue Townley Road Dovercourt Road Beauval Road Landcroft Road Rodwell Road Heber Road Cyrena Road Crystal Palace Road Landells RoadBarry Road Underhill Road Upland Road Forest Hill Road Dovedale Road Shelbury Road Scutari Road Mundania Road Homestall Road Thames Water have appointed Brooton Knowls (Surveyors) to carry out inspections of all properties along the line. They don't want you to get your own independent surveyor. BK and TW have a very intimate working relationship and anyone could be correct in thinking that BK may not be totally impartial. BK will come in and look for any cracks or defects in the walls, floors and ceilings of your house. They will photograph and write a written report on what they find. You will not be allowed to contribute or be given the opportunity to contest or sign off this report. If they find any cracks they can later say ...."there was evidence that the property was prone to subsidence before the tunnel was even constructed." Needless to say your chances of compensation then would be ZERO. Subsidence could take as long as 10- 15 years to appear - depending on when there's a drought year. If there is sufficient interest amongst you all, I feel we should set up an action group that will strive to protect all our interests. TW is a big commercial entity that doesn't exactly have the best reputation for looking after the interests of the community. It is main shareholders are all foreign. Meantime, I recommend that you get as much information out of TW as possible. They are obliged under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 to provide you with answers. They cannot refuse. But as a starting point you should ask for full copies of the following:- 1. Environmental Impact Study. 2. Geotechnical Design Report. These are thick publications and make interesting reading. It will cost TW a bit of time and effort to provide you with copies but please don't be fobbed off by them. Insist on your rights. They will try and fob you off with an invitation (from their smooth-talking PR man ) to their headquarters to see their display, but hold your ground and insist on the reports and any other answers that you need to have. I suggest also that you insist that TW pay for an independent surveyor of your choosing ie not Brooton Knowls. See this link about similar subsidence http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2036-satellites-spot-city-subsidence.html Good luck. Tom Dhu