Second tunnel plan leaves west London with sinking feeling

Plans to regenerate a rundown part of Fulham are being threatened by a National Grid "super tunnel" that could throw the area into chaos for years.

Sites next to Wandsworth Bridge Road, including Whiffen Wharf, are being looked at as possible locations for an access shaft to the tunnel, which will be routed under the Thames.

Hurlingham Wharf had also been touted as a site for the access pipe, but the National Grid has since ruled this out.

The 14-kilometre tunnel, which will be four metres in diameter and will lie up to 40 metres below ground, will carry cables from St John's Wood to Wimbledon and connect two National Grid substations at either end.

It is expected to be completed by 2016.

The £127 million tunnel is part of a wider project, costing about £600 million, to improve electricity supplies for London and meet future demand.

National Grid does not need planning permission to build the tunnel but does require approval to erect a building above ground to allow access to the pipe and to store control equipment.

The latest proposals follow Thames Water's plans for a £2.5 billion "super sewer" that would gouge a 100ft crater in either Furnivall Gardens or Ravenscourt Park, also within the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

It would take eight years to dig the 20-mile tunnel under the Thames, which would act as a giant storage tank to prevent raw sewage flowing into the river following heavy rain. Already on the offensive against the "super sewer", Hammersmith and Fulham council leader Stephen Greenhalgh vowed to fight the National Grid's proposals.

He said: "If this tunnel is routed through either of the wharves to pass under the Thames it could ruin plans for mass regeneration in an area that is crying out for redevelopment."

He said the disruptive construction work would "blight" the riverside until the middle of the next decade. "It would be very much harder to secure the will and the desire to invest in the site."

The council has been in talks with Mayor Boris Johnson since June about easing development restrictions on Fulham's wharves, which are near pockets of deprivation that are among the worst in the country.

Mr Greenhalgh added: "The fact that National Grid does not need to consult with residents [about the tunnel] as a matter of course means that residents will have to suffer noise and inconvenience, all without them having had a say in what happens on their doorstep."

Last night there were indications the council may be winning its battle as the National Grid said it was looking at other sites.

A National Grid spokesman said: "The proposed work is essential to ensure a safe and reliable electricity network and to meet future electricity demand. One of the advantages of building a tunnel is that major disruption to the road network in London is avoided during both the construction stage and future maintenance.

"We are currently in the feasibility and design stage of the project and are continuing to liaise with the relevant local authorities. We will be organising public exhibitions to discuss our proposals."