Another massive skyscraper set to be built in Canary Wharf – but there’s ‘not enough water’

An East London neighbourhood could run out of water or face power cuts if new tower blocks keep being built, a local councillor has warned. The councillor’s comments came as a new 56-storey tower is set to be approved on the Isle of Dogs.

Independent-Conservative Tower Hamlets councillor Andrew Wood said too many high-rise buildings were being built on the Isle of Dogs in Tower Hamlets without proper electrical and water supplies to support them. The Isle is one of the most densely-populated parts of the UK and is set to see its population more than double in the next 10 years as new towers are built, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Andrew Wood told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that building too many tower blocks in Canary Wharf and the rest of the Isle of Dogs would need proper planning. He warned that there was a risk of low water pressure or complete power cuts if there wasn’t enough to go around among the neighbourhood’s residents.

He opposed the building of the 56-storey flat block in Canary Wharf at a council meeting on February 15, arguing that more infrastructure was needed. The building’s developers rejected this claim and said that they were working with suppliers to make sure there were no issues with water and electricity.

READ MORE:The South London estate that’s virtually a ghost town but locals fear new tower blocks

The building’s developers said they were ‘engaging’ with utility suppliers to make sure there were no shortages

Cllr Wood said: “Water pressure is less now in new developments… so there are consequences in terms of water so some places would just run short at certain times of the day.

“Especially in the peak period during weekdays during school terms. So at nine o’clock in the morning when you’ve got kids going to school that’s peak period in terms of electricity – I don’t know how that manifests itself but in theory that could mean power cuts. The problem is that some of these buildings might not be occupiable, so they may finish the building but may not be allowed to actually occupy it because there’s not enough electricity, which is a bit crazy.”

A spokesperson for the new tower block’s developers, Far East Consortium, said: “For FEC, infrastructure and construction coordination is paramount and we are committed to early engagement with utility suppliers. We are engaging with the Infrastructure Coordination Development Service (ICDS) initiative by the GLA and their specific officer for Tower Hamlets. We are also part of the Marsh Wall Construction Forum in the Isle of Dogs and an active contributor to the consultation process of the LBTH Code of Construction Practice (CoCP).”

Thames Water referred the Local Democracy Reporting Service to a comment it gave on the Isle of Dogs water supply last September. It said: “We’re aware of local concerns around the potential impact of development and population growth on water supplies and have been in regular contact with Councillor Wood and others at Tower Hamlets to address them.

“The availability of water isn’t a problem but getting it through the pipe network to the southern end of the Isle of Dogs could be in the future which is why… our network will be improved ahead of the new homes being occupied.”

Tower Hamlets Council was contacted for comment.

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https://www.mylondon.news/news/east-london-news/another-massive-skyscraper-set-built-23146616

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