The latest £4.6 billion sewer initiative in the capital has come under fire, criticized for its ‘bleak’ atmosphere and ‘unusable’ seating arrangements.
Following nearly a decade of development, the Bazalgette Embankment, the surface component of the Tideway Tunnel—a 15-mile sewer intended to improve the Thames’ water quality—has been revealed to the public.
However, the reaction has been less than favorable, with some describing it as reminiscent of a ‘Soviet nightmare’ and joking that the benches seem fit ‘for penguins’ rather than people.
The area spans a sparse 1.5 acres, featuring a few benches and tall, dark structures inscribed with poetry.
The project originally promised to offer Londoners three acres of ‘architecturally stunning’ public space, a first in over 100 years.
While it does boast a stunning view of the iconic River Thames, the numerous CCTV cameras and a lack of vibrant elements contribute to an overall oppressive ambiance.
‘It’s a waste of money,’ passer-by Ida Lawson told the Daily Mail. ‘I can see why people say it looks like AI, it’s empty and there’s not anything nice about it.’
She added: ‘It’s not a vibrant area there’s literally a road that’s noisy right next to it, I wouldn’t want to drink coffee or beers here.’
Pictured: The benches on that have been branded ‘unusable’
Pictured: What Bazalgette Embankment looks like after the development
Pictured: The original mock-up for Bazalgette Embankment
Ida Lawson (pictured) said the new development is a ‘waste of money’
Pictured: Aerial images of the super sewer being constructed along the Thames
The area is intended to create new destinations for Londoners and tourists.
However, Zac Wheeler from New Zealand told the Daily Mail he happened to ‘stumble’ upon the site and would not recommend it to his friends back home.
He said: ‘It almost looks like a skatepark but it doesn’t fit in with the rest of architecture just across the road.
‘It’s so clean it’s out of place almost creepy. The black things look obstacles someone could skate.
‘There could be more greenery. This wide open space is weird.’
Work for the new sewage system began in 2016 and was the biggest infrastructure project ever undertake by the UK water industry.
It was designed to stop London’s most polluting sewer leaks and bring the city’s Victorian infrastructure into the 21st century.
Building the space above the tunnels was a way to conceal the sewage tunnels – a design that has been praised.
Bazalgette Embankment opened this month just west of Blackfriars Bridge, it is a sparse 1.5 acre space kitted out with a handful of benches and looming black slabs (pictured)
Zac Wheeler (pictured) from New Zealand told the Daily Mail he happened to ‘stumble’ upon the site and would not recommend it to his friends back home
Anil Hansjee said: ‘It’s a good way to hide the building work underneath. But at the moment it’s empty and lifeless.
‘You need some attractions here if they’re going to develop it should be part of a more holistic plan. It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s not actually been thought out like that.
‘Time will tell there is potential.’
Pointing at the looming black sculptures, he added: ‘I’m not sure what the meaning of these statues are they’re a bit blockish.’
With the exception of a few modern upgrades here and there, London has had essentially the same sewer system since the Victorian era.
Between 1859 and 1870 an engineer named Joseph Bazalgette oversaw the construction of around 1,100 miles of drains and 82 miles of ‘intercepting sewers’ beneath the city.
This innovation massively improved how London handled sewage and is responsible for big leaps forward in terms of public health.
However, more than 100 years later, London has outgrown Bazalgette’s designs, which were made for a city of only 5.5 million people.
The Thames Tideway Tunnel (pictured) is a vast sewer running through the length of London
Anil Hansjee (pictured) said he liked the concept of the development but it is currently ‘lifeless’
Pictured: A tent has already been erected along the walkway
By 2014, London’s sewers were so overwhelmed that the network was at 80 per cent capacity in dry weather.
This meant that even the slightest amount of rainfall could trigger sewage to overflow into the river.
Making the case for the Tideway Tunnel, the Department of Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) found that 39 million tonnes of untreated wastewater was flowing into the Thames each year.
The solution that Thames Water and DEFRA ultimately settled on was to build a vast tunnel to intercept the worst overflows when the original sewer gets overwhelmed.
Thames Tideway estimates that this should reduce sewage overflows by about 95 per cent to only five per year.
The issue, some critics argue, is that the Tideway Tunnel is an unnecessarily expensive way of solving just one part of London’s problem.
In 2017, one year after the tunnel’s construction began, the National Audit Office found that Thames Water had not accurately modelled how much tunnel was needed.
The government’s financial watchdog found that ‘correcting for inaccurate predictions’ could have resulted in a tunnel that was nine miles shorter and £646million cheaper.
The Thames Tideway Tunnel collects overflow from 23 of London’s most polluting sewers when heavy rain overwhelms the existing system
Pictured: A random structure plonked by itself on the vast open space at Bazalgette Embankment
Professor Chris Binney, who sat on the original 2005 steering group for the tunnel, even came out to call the Tideway tunnel ‘a waste of about £4bn’.
This is a sentiment that many passers-by agreed with.
James said: ‘That is a staggering amount to spend. How can you have benches that people can’t sit on?
‘On a grey day it would be very miserable they could have a bit more colour. I reckon everything’s going to get wrecked because that’s London. I worry if people will end up graffitiing the walls almost sadly is there point in any real effort if people will just ruin it.’
Ray Wells added: ‘I only found this a week ago. It’s a bit stark. This is not an obvious place not a lot of people would walk along here.
‘The benches look like they’re designed so people can’t sleep on them. It’s always going to be a bit spooky, I can’t see it being a popular stopping off point.
‘It’s a bit dreary and these aren’t even water features they’re a bit odd.’
A Tideway spokesperson said: ‘Bazalgette Embankment has been designed to enhance the lives of Londoners and visitors for generations to come. Since opening, surveys of those using the site have been overwhelmingly positive, and we expect this space to become a landmark, treasured and well-used space decades and centuries into the future.
‘The embankment here – previously dominated by a noisy dual-carriageway – has now been brought to life with 3,000 plants and 71 newly planted trees; all-new vistas of London’s iconic skyline; a wide range of seating to encourage interaction, lounging and rest; bold sculptural artwork; and countless other features to help Londoners connect with the newly cleaned Thames.
‘As with any major new civic space, it will truly come into its own over time. The planting will establish, the materials will weather, the central area will be animated by those using the kiosk building, and Londoners and visitors will make it part of their daily lives.’
