- Thames Water puts customers and communities at the heart of its plans to secure water supply for millions of Londoners.
- The company will launch its public consultation on Tuesday 17 June 2025, with people invited to have their say on its essential Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) project.
- The feedback received during the consultation period will help inform Thames Water’s Development Consent Order submission for the project in 2026.
- The nationally significant infrastructure project would provide up to 75 million litres of water each day during drought - enough to fill 30 Olympic sized swimming pools.
- Not having enough water to go around could cost London’s economy alone around £500 million each day.
The UK’s largest water company has announced its plans to launch a 10-week statutory public consultation on its Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) project on Tuesday 17 June 2025. The vital drought resilience project would enable the company to abstract additional water from the River Thames, supported by water recycling.
The project has been deemed as of national significance by the Government and would safeguard the drinking water supply for London’s residents, businesses, schools, hospitals and other essential services during periods of drought. The company predicts it will need an extra 1 billion litres of water every day by 2050 to meet customer demand, expected population growth and climate change.
Water abstracted from the River Thames, upstream of Teddington Weir, would be transferred along a new connecting pipeline to the existing Thames Lee Tunnel. It would then join the Lee Valley reservoirs in East London, ready to become drinking water.
To replenish the river, highly treated recycled water will go through an additional cleaning stage known as ‘tertiary treatment’. This water would then be transferred from Mogden Sewage Treatment Works and released into the River Thames at a new discharge location upstream of Teddington Weir. This would compensate for water taken, helping to protect the environment and local wildlife.
Leonie Dubois, Head of Engagement, Land and Consents, Thames Water said: “Our public consultation will put communities at the forefront of our plans as we progress this nationally significant infrastructure project, which will secure water supply for millions.
“Once the consultation is live, we want to gather as much feedback as possible and would encourage our customers to join our events throughout the summer, talk to the team to find out what the project means for them, and make sure they have their say.”
Thames Water has already acted on community feedback on the project. Last year, it revealed a series of project design changes following feedback gathered during its non-statutory consultation in Autumn 2023.
Changes to the project included reducing the number of construction compounds and number of shafts from eight to four. This was made possible by opting for tunnel boring, rather than pipejacking to build the tunnel which would transport recycled water. This will have a positive impact on the project’s visual impacts and reduces the number of expected traffic movements.
On Tuesday 17 June, consultation materials, the latest project design, and ways to provide your feedback will be made available on a dedicated webpage.
The feedback received during the consultation period will help inform Thames Water’s Development Consent Order submission for the project in 2026.
The public consultation will run until 11:59pm on Tuesday 26 August 2025 and will ask for feedback on a series of matters including the project’s proposed approach to construction and maintenance, as well as the lasting benefits that it will deliver for the surrounding community.
A Statement of Community Consultation, which is a statutory requirement for the purposes of the Development Consent Order, has been prepared and sets out Thames Water’s approach to consultation. The document has been published on the project’s webpage at: thames-sro.co.uk/TDRA
Consultation event dates:
A series of events will take place during the consultation period, providing an opportunity to view project plans and ask questions of the project team. You can find details of the in-person and online events below.
Public information events (In-person) |
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Isleworth Public Hall, South Street, Isleworth, TW7 7BG. Wednesday, 25 June 2025, 2pm - 8pm Book your place here. |
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Oaklands School, Gresham Road, Hounslow, TW3 4BX. Saturday, 28 June 2025, 10am - 4pm Book your place here. |
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Allianz Stadium (Captain’s Club room), 200 Whitton Road, Twickenham, TW2 7BA. Monday, 30 June 2025, 2pm - 8pm Book your place here. |
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Doubletree Hilton Hotel (Sopwith Suite), 1 Skerne Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 5FJ. Thursday, 3 July 2025, 2pm - 8pm Book your place here. |
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York House (Clarendon Hall), Hall Road, Twickenham, TW1 3BZ. Monday, 7 July 2025, 2pm - 8pm Book your place here. |
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St Richard’s Church, Ashburnham Road, Ham, TW10 7NL. Saturday, 12 July 2025, 10am - 4pm Book your place here. |
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The Lensbury (Wimbledon Room), Broom Road, Teddington, TW11 9NU. Thursday, 17 July 2025, 2pm - 8pm Book your place here. |
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Kingston Academy, Richmond Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 5PE. Saturday, 19 July 2025, 10am - 4pm Book your place here. |
Online events - Registration details below |
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TDRA Online information event 1. Tuesday, 8 July 2025, 12pm - 1pm Please register to receive your link to attend here. |
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TDRA Online information event 2. Wednesday, 16 July 2025, 7pm - 8pm Please register to receive your link to attend here. |
The two online events will include a presentation from the project team summarising the proposals, the consultation process, and how to respond.
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