London Garden Bridge across the Thames, Lambeth Crossing Project, GBT Design Proposal
Garden Bridge across the Thames in London
GBT River Pedestrian Crossing in London, England, UK – design by Thomas Heatherwick
18 Dec 2015
River Thames Garden Bridge Problems
Design: Heatherwick Studio / Arup
London Garden Bridge Land Ownership Dispute
Plans for a garden bridge over the Thames could be put in jeopardy after local councillors broke with their party leadership to demand renewed scrutiny of the decision to hand a section of the South Bank to the private Garden Bridge Trust (GBT).
A group of councillors in Lambeth Council, who control the bridge’s south side, have rebelled against their Labour leadership to challenge the decision made in November to support the scheme.
The application to formally call in the decision accuses the council leader of allowing no oversight or accountability in giving the land in one of London’s most busy tourist districts to the GBT, the charity behind this contoversial project.
The submission calls the decision unaccountable and argues it was not properly scrutinised, either legally or by councillors.
Thomas Heatherwick’s project, supported by world-famous acrtess Joanna Lumley, is heavily backed by both the government and London Mayor, Boris Johnson.
London River Thames Garden Bridge Problems – article in The Guardian, 18th December 2015
17 Dec 2015
River Thames Garden Bridge News
London Garden Bridge News
The Garden Bridge Trust (GBT) today confirmed that the impact of construction of the Garden Bridge has been greatly reduced.
The Trust’s updated construction plans were discussed at a meeting of the Lambeth Planning Committee on 15 December and approval was given for the discharge of four planning conditions. These relate to the Trust’s construction logistics plan, the pedestrian and cycle management plan, the code of construction practice, and the tree removal plan.
In presenting further construction proposals to the Lambeth Planning Committee yesterday evening, the GBT was able to demonstrate how it is continuing to work to reduce the impact of building London’s new Garden Bridge.
This follows recent consultation with local residents and businesses, and through pre-construction work performed by the Trust’s chosen contractor, the joint venture between Bouygues Travaux Publics of France and Cimolai of Italy.
These updated proposals were submitted to Lambeth and Westminster City Councils for review and comment in September and relate to discharging some of the required pre-construction planning conditions.
Key points are:
– The improved proposals will result in a 35% reduction in the number of road journeys required for construction – minimising the impact on the local highway network, River Thames users and business and local communities in Westminster and Lambeth.
– Construction of the Bridge will be completed in less than 32 months, ready to welcome its first pedestrians in 2018.
– The main structure of the Bridge deck will be manufactured off-site in Cimolai’s manufacturing facility in Italy. Bridge sections will then be transported by sea to the UK as large structures, coming in to Port Tilbury, Essex, for partial assembly, and then brought up the River Thames to the bridge site by barge in four large sections to be lifted into place with minimal disruption to those living and working nearby.
– As well as improving quality, off-site construction provides a safe working environment and has the benefit of minimising activity in the Thames and significantly reducing noise and disruption to communities and businesses in the summer months. It also means the building of the structure can begin earlier, reducing risk of delays to the programme and improving certainty of delivery on schedule.
– Construction plans have been chosen to ensure that Bernie Spain Gardens, a site of great importance to the local community, will remain open to the public during construction and will not be used as an access point for building activities.
– The original construction methodology proposed narrowing Queen’s Walk at the site of the south landing of the bridge to 5m from October 2015 to spring 2018. This has now been widened to 7.65m during construction, and by restricting early construction activities, Queen’s Walk pavement will remain largely unaffected until September 2016.
– Deliveries that have to be made by road will become via two large holding depots located in Southwark within 3 miles of the Garden Bridge site, to avoid adding stress to local road networks. Out of the 1000 days of the construction period, there will only be four days of peak deliveries. 96% of the time only two or three HGVs will be delivering materials per day.
The Trust also confirmed that has is entered into the next phase of the contract with the Bouygues-Cimolai JV for detailed design and other pre-construction services this week. The contractors will continue to consult with the local community, businesses and planning authorities on the details of construction. Preparatory works are scheduled to begin in spring 2016 with the moving of the HQS Wellington to its new location about 100m downstream, to provide access to the northern landing.
Construction of the bridge itself will start in the summer of 2016, and will open in 2018.
Bee Emmott, Executive Director, Garden Bridge Trust, said: “There is real momentum in the project and we are delighted we have been able to make adjustments to our design and construction timelines to meet the needs of the community following our consultation. We are working closely with Lambeth and Westminster Councils to discharge our planning obligations and to get the site ready for construction next year.”
Garden Bridge across the River Thames
Thomas Heatherwick’s Garden Bridge – High Court decision to allow a legal challenge against the proposal
26 Mar 2015
Garden Bridge Planting and Maintenance Plans
picture: EPA/Arup
Garden Bridge Planting
This bold but controversial proposal for a £175m garden bridge across the River Thames has been given approval by Lambeth Council, reports the AJ today.
Garden Bridge across the River Thames in London information from Heatherwick Studio
Garden Bridge by Heatherwick Studio and Arup
Location: Queen’s Walk, London, England, UK
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Design: Heatherwick Studio
photograph : Steve Speller
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Website : River Thames Garden Bridge