London’s new £4.6billion super sewer garden branded ‘grim’ over its ‘unusable benches’ and ‘lifeless’ architecture

The capital’s new £4.6 billion super sewer project has been criticized as ‘draconian’ for its ‘unusable benches’ and ‘lifeless’ architecture.

After nine years of construction of the Bazalgette Embankment, the above-ground element of the Tideway Tunnel, a 25-kilometre sewer designed to clean the River Thames, has finally opened.

Unfortunately, the results were underwhelming, as people described it as a ‘Soviet nightmare’ with ‘benches for penguins’.

It’s a sparse 1.5-acre space, outfitted with a handful of benches and dazzling black monoliths with poetry delicately etched into them.

Londoners have been promised three acres of ‘architecturally beautiful’ public space for the first time in more than a century.

While it offers stunning views of London’s iconic River Thames, the countless CCTV cameras and lack of color make it feel overwhelming.

“It’s a waste of money,” Ida Lawson told the Daily Mail. ‘I can understand why people say it’s like AI, it’s empty and there’s nothing nice about it.’

He added: ‘This is not a lively area, there’s a literally noisy road right next to it, I wouldn’t want to have a coffee or beer here.’

Image: What does Bazalgette Filling look like after development?

Pictured: Original mock-up of Bazalgette Filling

Ida Lawson (pictured) says new development is ‘a waste of money’

Image: Aerial views of the super sewer being built along the River Thames

The area is intended to create new destinations for Londoners and tourists.

However, New Zealander Zac Wheeler told the Daily Mail he came across the site ‘by chance’ and would not recommend it to his friends back home.

He said: ‘It almost looks like a skate park but it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the architecture just across the road.

‘It’s so clean it’s out of place, almost creepy. The black things look like obstacles that someone can slide through.

‘There could be more greenery. T

‘The wide open space is strange.’

Work began on the new sewer system in 2016 and was the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken by the UK water industry.

It was designed to stop London’s most polluting sewer leaks and bring the city’s Victorian infrastructure into the 21st century.

Building the area above the tunnels was a way to hide the sewer tunnels; A highly praised design.

The Bazalgette Embankment opened this month just west of Blackfriars Bridge; is a sparse 1.5-acre space with a handful of benches and black signs (pictured)

Zac Wheeler (pictured) from New Zealand told the Daily Mail he came across the site “by chance” and would not recommend it to his friends back home

Anil Hansjee said: ‘This is a good way to disguise construction work. But right now it’s empty and lifeless.

‘You need some attractions here, if they are to develop it has to be part of a more holistic plan. Actually, it wouldn’t surprise me if it wasn’t thought of that way.

‘Time will tell if the potential exists.’

Pointing to the emerging black sculptures, he added: ‘I’m not sure what these sculptures mean, they look a bit blocky.’

Apart from a few modern improvements here and there, London has had essentially the same sewer system since Victorian times.

Between 1859 and 1870, an engineer named Joseph Bazalgette oversaw the construction of approximately 1,100 miles of sewers and 82 miles of ‘cut sewers’ under the city.

This innovation greatly improved London’s sewage management and was responsible for major advances in public health.

But more than 100 years later, London has outgrown Bazalgette’s designs for a city of just 5.5 million people.

The Thames Tideway Tunnel (pictured) is a large sewer system running across London

Anil Hansjee (pictured) said he liked the development concept but felt ‘lackluster’ at the moment

Picture: A tent is already set up along the hiking path

By 2014, London’s sewers were so full that the network’s capacity was reaching 80 percent in dry weather.

This meant that even the slightest amount of rainfall could cause sewage to overflow into the river.

Using the Tideway Tunnel as an example, the Department for Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) found that 39 million tonnes of untreated wastewater flows into the River Thames every year.

The solution Thames Water and DEFRA ultimately came to was to build a wide tunnel to prevent the worst of the overflow when the original sewer overflowed.

Thames Tideway estimates this will reduce sewer overflows by around 95 per cent to just five a year.

The problem, some critics say, is that the Tideway Tunnel is an unnecessarily expensive way of solving only part of London’s problem.

In 2017, a year after tunnel construction began, the National Audit Office found Thames Water had not accurately modeled how much tunnel was needed.

The government’s financial watchdog has found that ‘correcting inaccurate forecasts’ could result in a tunnel nine miles shorter and £646 million cheaper.

Thames Tideway Tunnel collects overflows from 23 of London’s most polluting sewers if heavy rain overwhelms the existing system

Pictured: A random structure spontaneously placed in a wide open space

Professor Chris Binney, who was on the tunnel’s original management group in 2005, described the Tideway tunnel as a ‘waste of around £4bn’.

It’s an opinion many passersby agree with.

James said: ‘This is a staggering amount to spend. How can you have benches that people can’t sit on?

‘It would be a shame if they had a little more color on a gray day. I think it’s all going to be ruined because it’s London, I worry if people start drawing graphite on the walls, almost sadly. Is there any real effort if people are going to ruin the place?’

Ray Wells added: ‘I only found this a week ago. A little harsh. This isn’t an obvious place where many people wouldn’t walk here.

‘The benches seem designed so people can’t sleep on them. It’s always going to be a little spooky, I don’t think it’s a popular stopping point.

‘It’s a bit dreary and they’re not even water features, they’re just a bit weird.’

A Tideway spokesperson said: ‘Bazalgette Embankment is designed to improve the lives of Londoners and visitors for generations to come. Since its opening, surveys of those using the site have been overwhelmingly positive and we expect this area to become a landmark, valued and well-used area for decades and centuries to come.

‘The embankment here, previously dominated by a noisy dual carriageway, has now been brought to life with 3,000 plants and 71 newly planted trees; Brand new views of London’s iconic skyline; a wide range of seating areas that encourage interaction, lounging and relaxation; bold sculptural works of art; and countless other features to help Londoners connect with the newly cleaned Thames.

‘As with any major new civic space, it will really come into its own with time. ‘There will be planting, materials will be weatherproof, the central area will be revitalized by those who use the kiosk building and Londoners and visitors will make it part of their daily lives.’