The All Party Parliamentary Group on Infrastructure (APPGI) met on 5 July to hold its Annual General Meeting and receive a presentation on the Thames Tideway Tunnel.
ICE helped establish the group in November 2008 and provides the group’s secretariat. The APPGI brings together over fifty Members of Parliament and Lords to hear about pressing issues and projects from the infrastructure agenda.
The results of the election of officers were:
- Chair, Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP
- Vice-Chair, Lord Chidgey
- Vice-Chair, Graham Brady MP
- Vice-Chair, Naomi Long MP
- Treasurer, Lord Berkeley
- Secretary, Mark Garnier MP
Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP, Chairman, APPGI, said: “I would like to say how grateful we are for the help and support of the organisations and individuals who have worked with us during the past year, and in particular the Institution of Civil Engineers. We hope that they will continue to support the group.”
Presentation on Thames Tideway Tunnel
Philip Stride, Head of Thames Tideway Tunnels at Thames Water provided the group with a presentation on the project – which had only just been shown to the Environment Minister, Richard Benyon MP and London Council leaders the day before.
Mr Stride outlined the problems which London is currently facing in deal of dealing with wastewater, the preferred route of the Thames Tunnel and sites, scheme cost and the planning process.
APPGI members made points and asked questions on a number of questions including the threat of EU fines for river pollution; the proposal to get the scheme considered under the Infrastructure Planning Commission process and the planned movement of excavated materials.
Along with APPGI members a number of interested parties, campaign groups and experts attended to take part in the discussion which followed. Representatives from Thamesbank and the Save the Kings Stairs Gardens group brought up concerns regarding the project including its planned route, impact on green spaces and foreshore enclosure.
The group’s website can be found here: www.infrastructuregroup.org.uk.