Thames Water – further response re Brookside sewer

Here is our latest update sent to us this morning.

I am writing to update you further to my email of 4 August.

Our team attempted to clean the sewer in Brookside on 8 August but were unable to completely clear it of fat and grease. As a result, our Technical Specialist reviewed all the work we had completed so far and extended the scope of the clean to include a section of the foul sewer in London Road.

I am pleased to confirm that the first section of this new clean was completed on 16 and 17 August. Our team removed large amounts of fat and scale from the sewer and left it free flowing. The final section of the clean has been planned for 24 August. Once all sections have been cleaned and surveyed, the footage will be assessed again by our Technical Specialist to decide if further work is needed. I will contact you with a further update by 5 September.

Latest on the energy pipe application

We have left an A3 hard copy version of the Construction Traffic Management Plan relating to the energy pipe application at Headington Library for residents to study. This is a work in progress and subject to change.

The planning committee meeting about the energy pipe application is going to take place on 7th September. The construction traffic management plan is being prepared now by the County Networks Team and the applicant and will only come into operation if planning consent is granted.

We are working closely with the County Networks Team which manages traffic when works happen. They have asked us some questions which we shall be talking to residents about:

  • Lime Walk South is likely to be one way only (downhill direction towards London Road) while works are ongoing in that area. Do residents consider that Bickerton Road and Stapleton Road could usefully be made one way while works are happening between London Road and Old Road?
  • Should access to the above area be signed “Access to frontages only” while works are on-going?
  • The works to All Saints junction would make it trickier for residents in New Headington to access their properties – do they think that the bollards at the end of Bateman Street should be removed temporarily so that people who live in Piper, Windsor, Wilberforce, Perrin, Bateman Streets and Kennett Road will have a second route in/out during the period these works are happening? (c3 weeks)

Please let us have your views on these issues as there is limited time to influence this traffic management plan to best advantage.

At present it seems that the County meeting held in public on whether consent should be granted for a street works licence will happen at 2pm on 5/9 with a City briefing on the legal implications to councillors in public very very soon afterwards (date to be confirmed) and certainly before 7/9.

Latest on Brookside sewer system

We have received this update from Thames Water.

Our Technical Specialist has reviewed the footage from the recent clean of the sewer in Brookside. He was unable to obtain a clear picture of the condition of the pipework due to the high level of flow in the sewer. He has asked our camera team to repeat the survey, ensuring they have a tanker to control the flow in order to obtain a clear picture of the sewer.

This work has been scheduled for 8 August. Once completed the footage will be uploaded and assessed by our Technical Specialist to determine if further work is needed. I will continue to monitor our progress and will contact you with our next steps by 22 August at the latest.

On-going discussion of traffic management if energy pipe goes ahead

Councillors met officers from the County Networks Team today to inform discussion on the construction traffic management plan (CTMP) document submitted with the energy pipe application. We wanted to make sure that disruption to residents is kept to a minimum if the application gets consent, and give the Networks Team officers information about likely issues that may merit their further consideration.

Here are some of the points we discussed:

  • councillors will put a hard copy of the CTMP in Bury Knowle Library so that those of our residents who don’t use the internet will be able to see what has been proposed and make comments in writing. We shall mark this document “work in progress” as the Networks Team is still in on-going discussion with the applicant over possible changes.
  • the Networks Team will talk to Vital Energi about minimising rattling noise generated when traffic passes over metal plates (it appears from the plans that access to/from Cecil Sharp Place will be over a metal plate, and there will be more in London Road)
  • signage advising cyclists to dismount may be needed in certain locations
  • VMS signs on the A40 should emphasise that Headington shops are not affected even when traffic is restricted to one lane between Sandfield and Latimer Roads
  • Disabled access will be checked by a County Officer
  • Some of the diversion route signage shown in the drawings may be confusing and County will talk to VE about removing some of this (see note 6 below)
  • There will be signage advising drivers that there is no access to London Road or to Old Road via residential streets where necessary
  • The emergency services would like Lime Walk South to stay open throughout the works (one lane only) and County believes it would be best for Lime Walk South to operate as a one way street from Old Road in the direction of London Road throughout weeks 1-12 to ensure that (a) fire and rescue vehicles and ambulances can use Lime Walk South to get to emergencies, and (b) to ensure that access to streets in New Headington from Old Road via All Saints Road junction can be maintained for as long as possible. Councillors would like to consult residents about this.
  • Consideration should be given to making roads into Highfield e.g. Lime Walk South “Access only for residents” while works are on-going. Councillors will consult residents on this.

Other points raised include:

  1. The 5/9/16 meeting at County Hall to confirm whether a section 50 licence will be granted will go ahead as scheduled but any outcome will be subject to consent being granted by the Planning Authority
  2. The section 50 licence is in the name of the contractor Vital Energi until the works are completed, and then will be changed to Aviva Investors PLC thereafter.
  3. Work on the Access to Headington scheme in Roosevelt Drive has been scheduled for 7/10/16 (not yet confirmed)
  4. Temporary traffic regulation orders (TTROs) have not been finalised yet but are being drafted
  5. If planning consent is granted on 7th September by the Planning Authority, a further three weeks notice will be needed by the County Council to publish and implement the necessary TTROs before work can start
  6. We learned something new about diversion routes. These confused people (including councillors) last time around. Apparently the aim of a diversion route is to guide people from one end of roadworks to the other end of the roadworks, which is why it led people round almost in a complete circle. We don’t think that diversion route signage is particularly helpful in residential areas, although it may be needed on the Churchill site.

Other more technical details were also discussed, but these are the main points.

Cllrs Roz Smith and Ruth Wilkinson attended this meeting. Ruth is a member of the East Area Planning Committee and wishes to make it clear that her involvement has been only to provide information on road use in Headington Ward to the County Council’s Networks Team. She maintains an open mind on this application without prejudice, and looks forward to reading all comments and related documents and listening to speakers both for and against the application at the EAPC meeting to be held in public on 7th September at the Town Hall at 6pm.

Comments on this application can be sent in by residents to the City Council’s Planning Dept up until 18th August.

 

Sending in comments about the energy pipe application?

We advise residents to read through the construction traffic management plan before sending in comments to the Planning department. You can select this document from a list on this page

In the construction traffic management plan, you will find details of when works will take place in each of the affected roads, what road signage and temporary traffic arrangements will be made, and information like working hours.

The consultation period ends on 18th August. The planning reference number is 16/01565/FUL.

The County Council has not yet sent in its response as statutory consultee on highways and networks issues.

We have requested a briefing to councillors in public on the legal aspects of this application – this is for councillors to find out how many of the legal objections that have been submitted will be admissible as material planning considerations when the application is discussed at planning committee on the 7th September. We shall publish details of this meeting when we know when and where it will take place.

Don’t flush toddler wipes – Brookside sewage spill weekend update

There have now been three sewage spills in four days in the area around the top of Brookside and London Road. All blockages in the line have been cleared, the latest was completed Friday night.

The line has been jetted upstream and cleared but the underground flow is so strong that it is currently not possible to get a camera down to make a closer inspection of the pipe.

This problem is complex in that there a number of factors that need to be taken into account.

  1. All the blockages have been caused by ‘rag’, a term which includes a number of possible items including baby wipes. Baby wipes have often been visible when the line is unblocked. We have found out that confusing and misleading product labelling can lead to people flushing toddler wipes and sanitary items which can take a number of years to break down. The Thames Water website comments:

There are currently no restrictions in place to prevent these products being sold as ‘flushable’. 

The only product to pass water industry ‘flushability’ tests so far is toilet paper. Manufacturers have their own tests, which are more lenient resulting in a greater number of products being labelled ‘flushable’. 

To resolve this, the water industry and manufacturers are working together to develop a shared protocol. This project is also hoping to influence product labelling.

2. The frequency and volume of blockages seems to indicate that the diameter of the pipe may not be big enough or that the pipe has got too old or is damaged.

3. The timing of these blockages coincides with works to replace part of a sewer on the northern side of London Road and engineers want to find out if the two are related.

The situation currently is that a network engineer is making a site visit today to make an assessment. Hopefully a camera can be used to determine the state of the pipe below. A cleaning up operation will be done by contractors next week if the all clear is given. The work has priority 1 status. Engineers need to assess whether any pollution of Boundary Brook has taken place – tests will need to be done and if found positive, the Environment Agency will be informed, but we have no information on this yet and it may turn out that tests will be negative.

Your local councillors are in contact with both Thames Water and their contractors. It would help us if residents could express concerns over whether the diameter of the pipe is big enough whenever they speak to TW or to contractors.

Actions for councillors

  • We are pressing for updates and actions from Thames Water
  • We have agreed with Thames Water that they will carry out a leaflet drop to residents in the surrounding area about what can and cannot be flushed away
  • We have agreed with Thames Water that we shall publicise this web page to the wider area
  • We have obtained a Headington sewer map so that residents and councillors can see where the pipes run to and from in the area
  • We are in touch with Trading Standards to find out how best we can get movement from manufacturers on the shared protocol for product labelling and will consider how best to take this forward nationally

 

 

 

 

Brookside sewage spill latest

Tuesday’s blockage affecting Brookside and London Road was caused by paper and rag. This morning’s blockage has been cleared but a network engineer has been sent to site to determine whether pollution has spread to Boundary Brook.   Thames Water is digging up and repairing a damaged section of sewer on the opposite side of the London Road,but at the present time there is too much flow in the line for a camera to be put down which would help identify whether this is a contributing factor or whether there are other problems below ground.

If there is any evidence of pollution into Boundary Brook, Thames Water will carry out tests and report findings to the Environment Agency.

We are in daily contact with Thames Water over this issue.