Thames Water has today (Thursday, 21 May) launched a four-week supplementary public consultation on the Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) project, as it seeks feedback on proposed design changes near Burnell Avenue and Beaufort Road in Kingston.

The supplementary consultation will run from Thursday, 21 May to Thursday, 18 June 2026, with local people and stakeholders invited to have their say on planned changes to the project at Burnell Avenue and Beaufort Road.

The company will host two events to share more information about the updated project plans, including one in-person event and one event online.

Thames Water said: "The nationally significant project is essential to securing London's future water supply and would provide up to 75 million litres of water each day during drought."

How does the project work?

Thames Water said: "During times of drought, water would be taken from the River Thames upstream of Teddington Weir and transferred through a tunnel to the Lee Valley reservoirs, ready to be turned into drinking water for London.

"To maintain river flow and protect the local environment, the company would top up the Thames with highly treated, recycled water. Wastewater is already treated until it is clean enough to go back into environment; this project involves an additional layer of cleaning, known as Tertiary Treatment."

What has changed?

Thames Water held a 10 -week statutory consultation in summer 2025 and says that since then, it "has been carefully reviewing community feedback, alongside continuing discussions with stakeholders and analysing further information from technical assessments and surveys".

The company said that the process influenced a number of design changes to the project, including:

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No above ground works at Ham Playing Fields

Following feedback from its statutory consultation, Thames Water has removed a proposed intermediate shaft at Ham Playing Fields from its plans.

This means there will be no above-ground works or disruption to recreational users, nearby businesses or amenities including Ham House and Garden.

It also means no Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) will be required to access the site, so there will be no impacts from traffic, dust and noise. The tunnel will still pass beneath the playing fields underground.

Proposed changes at Burnell Avenue and Beaufort Road

Thames Water is also sharing a series of proposed design changes on land to the south of Burnell Avenue and at Beaufort Road in Kingston and is seeking feedback on these changes. This includes:

• Changes to the designs of the proposed intake and outfall structures, including increasing the size of the nearby control building and increasing the number of maintenance hatches that would be needed.
• An increase in the boundary of the area needed for the project (draft Order limits) at the existing substation at Beaufort Road to enable a power cable diversion.
• Increase in the total number and peak levels of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) servicing the Burnell Avenue worksite during construction, while reducing the number of HGV movements at the Tudor Drive worksite and removing all HGV movements from the Ham Playing Fields worksite.
• Extending the length of time that construction would take place at the Burnell Avenue site.
• Use of Ewell Road in Surbiton (in addition to other roads previously identified) to route construction traffic to service the Burnell Avenue and Tudor Drive sites.

Leonie Dubois, Head of Engagement, Land and Consents at Thames Water said: "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.

"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.

"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."

Have your say and find out more

The supplementary consultation asks for feedback on design changes to the proposed project at Burnell Avenue and Beaufort Road.

An in-person event will be held on Tuesday, 2 June 2026, from 2pm - 8pm, at St Andrew's Church Hall in Ham.

An online event will be held on Monday, 8 June 2026, between 12pm and 1pm. You can register via this link.

The consultation will run until 11.59pm on Thursday, 18 June 2026. Consultation materials will be made here.

Further information also can be found in the project update newsletter.

Development Consent Order application

Thames Water said: "As the TDRA project is of national significance, Thames Water will adhere to the Development Consent Order (DCO) planning process under the Planning Act 2008."

Due to its supplementary consultation and on-going design changes, the company is now planning to submit its DCO application in early 2027.

Thames Water says it will share further updates before it submits its application, including how the public can get involved in the DCO process, with further opportunities to speak to the project team and ways to find out more.

The news of Thames Water's TDRA project changes comes after the Thames at Ham and Kingston was designated as London's first official designated bathing spot last week.