Tideway dismantles shed after five years’ tunnelling

The 17.5m-high shed was built to reduce noise and dust pollution at Tideway’s site at Greenwich Pumping Station and allow work to progress as quickly as possible with tunnelling 24 hours a day.

Insulated acoustic panelling enabled work on a 4.5km connection tunnel linking Greenwich to the main super sewer to continue with minimal disruption to local residents.

The acoustic shed, seen from the air, next to the Greenwich Pumping Station, which was built during Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s sewer network in 1865

Now, after nearly five years of underground work and the completion of the tunnelling work, the shed is being dismantled.

Antoine Cheval, the project manager overseeing the works for Tideway, said removing the shed from site was a major milestone for Tideway’s work at Greenwich Pumping Station.

“Every single pre-cast concrete segment to create the tunnel as well as every inch of excavated spoil has come through this structure over the past few years,” said Cheval.

“To be finally taking it down is a huge achievement and brings the project and London closer than ever to its ultimate goal of protecting the River Thames from sewage pollution.”

At approximately 20m wide and 60m long, the structure has a footprint of around 1,200m².

The shed will now have a second life following its reassembly at a subcontractor’s site in Rainham, Essex.

Tideway will begin testing the new sewer system next year, diverting live storm flows of untreated sewage away from the River Thames for the first time. The system will be fully operational in 2025. Once complete, 95% of sewage pollution into the River Thames in London will be prevented.