Thames Water has launched a four-week supplementary public consultation on proposed design modifications to its controversial Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) facility in South West London.
The move, announced on Thursday, May 21, 2026, drew swift criticism from local environmental campaigners.
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The water firm initiated the public review to gather feedback on infrastructure updates near Burnell Avenue and Beaufort Road in Kingston.
The nationally significant project aims to extract up to 75 million litres of water daily from the River Thames during droughts, transferring it to Lee Valley reservoirs to safeguard London's drinking supply.
The extracted river volume would be replaced with highly-treated wastewater from the Mogden Sewage Treatment Works.
Campaigners Raise Concerns
In response to the updated blueprints, the campaign group Save Our Lands And River (SOLAR) stated that the revisions would make the permanent infrastructure larger and significantly more disruptive to surrounding public open spaces.
The updated plans remove a previously proposed intermediate shaft at Ham Playing Fields, eliminating above-ground disruption and heavy goods vehicle (HGV) traffic at that site.
However, the new design increases the size of the control building and the number of maintenance hatches near Burnell Avenue and Beaufort Road, while expanding the project boundary at the Beaufort Road substation.
Construction timelines will be extended at the Burnell Avenue site, with an increased volume of peak HGV movements routed through Ewell Road in Surbiton.
The documentation acknowledges that these shifts will increase local impacts on recreation, traffic, noise, air quality, and the nearby conservation zone.
The adjustments follow a prior 10-week statutory consultation held in the summer of 2025, which drew heavy opposition from local residents, wildlife groups, and political representatives.
A petition demanding the complete cancellation of the wastewater recycling scheme has accumulated more than 31,900 signatures, particularly after the recent designation of the Thames at Ham and Kingston as an official bathing spot.
"Many residents and campaign groups continue to question whether less damaging alternatives - including leakage reduction, demand management and alternative abstraction approaches - have been properly prioritised before pursuing major permanent infrastructure within public open space beside the Thames," said SOLAR.
The environmental coalition emphasized that the waterway serves as a vital community asset used daily by swimmers, kayakers, rowers, and local families.
"The River Thames is not simply a utility asset.
It is a living river used every day by swimmers, rowers, kayakers, paddleboarders, walkers, wildlife groups and families across our community.
It has now been recognised as an official bathing water site. It deserves protection, not further industrialisation," SOLAR added.
Utility Firm Defends Project
Thames Water maintains that the engineering project remains crucial to counteracting future resource deficits driven by climate change and rapid population expansion.
The utility company projects a supply shortfall of one billion litres of water per day by 2050 if no new infrastructure is developed.
"The combined effects of climate change, population growth and the need to protect the environment mean that if we don’t do anything, we forecast that we’ll have a shortfall of one billion litres of water every day by 2050," said a Thames Water spokesperson.
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The company stated that while driving down leakage and helping consumers conserve water are major priorities, those efforts alone cannot resolve the long-term deficit.
"A large part of addressing this challenge is driving down leakage and helping our customers save more water.
However, these measures won’t be enough on their own.
That’s why it’s vital for us to invest in new water infrastructure such as the Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) project," the spokesperson added.
The utility firm indicated that the current design modifications directly reflect the corporate review of community and stakeholder feedback gathered during the previous year's outreach.
"Since our statutory consultation last year, we have been considering all the feedback received, engaging with stakeholders, and developing our design with information from surveys and technical assessments," the spokesperson stated.
Company officials expressed a desire for continued local input during the remaining weeks of the supplementary review period.
"Listening to the local community is central to how we are developing this project and would encourage anyone with views on the latest proposals to respond before the consultation closes at 11.59pm on 18 June," the spokesperson said.
Company management reiterated that local public sentiment plays an active role in adjusting the project details as engineering plans advance toward finalization.
"Community feedback is fundamental to how we've developed our project plans and the response to our consultation last summer made clear just how much people care about this project," said Leonie Dubois, Head of Engagement, Land and Consents at Thames Water.
Dubois stated that the utility company has been listening carefully and refining the engineering proposals as a direct consequence of ongoing dialogue with key stakeholders.
"We've been listening carefully, reviewing what people told us, continuing dialogue with key stakeholders, and refining our proposals as a result.
The changes we're making to the project reflect that process," Dubois added.
The corporate engagement head encouraged broader public participation before the supplementary window closes, noting that final design selections have not yet been locked in.
"We still have a way to go before we reach final design stage, and I'd encourage everyone to share their views during our supplementary consultation.
Local communities should feel reassured that we are listening, and that their feedback is genuinely shaping our plans," Dubois said.
The ongoing supplementary consultation will accept submissions until 11:59 p. m.
on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
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Thames Water has scheduled an in-person public meeting on June 2 at St Andrew's Church Hall in Ham, followed by an online informational session on June 8, before submitting its formal Development Consent Order application to the government in early 2027.
