Latest news with #ThamesTideway
Bangkok Post
22-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Building infrastructure for the AI age
The London Underground, the world's oldest subway system, opened in 1863. Around the same time, London's modern sewage system was designed by civil engineer Joseph Bazalgette in response to the Great Stink of 1858, which brought parliament to a standstill. Planning far ahead, Bazalgette built the system to last 150 years. Only now, with the Thames Tideway project, is it being significantly expanded. Walk through any major city in the UK -- from London to Glasgow, Belfast to Bristol -- and you will find that much of the infrastructure from the late Victorian era is still in use. That is partly because the Victorians built early and planned decades ahead. Like in many other countries, the UK's infrastructure is akin to a palimpsest, with new layers constructed over the old. A similar dynamic is playing out today, as new technologies become integral to daily life and economic growth. Broadband, mobile networks, and data centres, which are now as vital as roads and power grids, are prime examples. At the same time, the concept of social infrastructure is gaining traction among policymakers around the world. The UK's new ten-year infrastructure strategy, for example, focuses on "opportunities for collaboration, productivity and efficiency gains, and the wider benefits of strategic and spatial planning" across the health, education, and justice systems. As the plan notes, this is the first time the British government has included social infrastructure in its national strategy. But even that view is too narrow. Consider the characteristics of the systems that keep our economies running: long lifespans, high fixed costs, low marginal costs, and broad accessibility. Importantly, their value is derived not from the physical assets themselves, but from the economic activities they enable. Our definition of infrastructure should be expanded to reflect the demands of the digital age. While governments often view AI infrastructure in terms of data centres and the energy and water they consume, a truly comprehensive view must also include intangible assets such as software and data. To be sure, this might seem like a conceptual leap. But the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020-21 revealed just how essential digital platforms have become. Videoconferencing tools like Zoom, for example, are so critical to work, education, and public services that it is difficult to imagine life without them. As a result, a growing number of countries are developing what is often called digital public infrastructure, though in practice it typically involves a mix of public and private services. In 2020, Brazil's central bank launched the Pix real-time payment system, which has largely replaced cash transactions. Similarly, India's Aadhaar biometric identification system now serves as a platform for both public services and digital payments. Such digital systems have been adopted more quickly in countries with fewer entrenched legacy services. By contrast, countries like the US and the UK have long-established payment systems dominated by private providers, such as credit card companies, which can impede the adoption of public alternatives. Given their growing economic importance, governments must start thinking strategically about software and data -- the digital equivalents of roads and power grids. This is especially true of intangible assets. Cash-strapped governments tend to underinvest in resources like data and software, while private investors often view them as too risky. But the lack of a robust and well-maintained digital foundation can hinder economic growth. A second reason to invest in digital infrastructure is national sovereignty. Over the past few years, policymakers around the world have become increasingly concerned about the national security risks posed by US firms' dominance in cloud computing. The lesson for governments is that they must step back from immediate flashpoints and take a longer view. Infrastructure provides a useful lens for thinking strategically about what investments are needed, who should make them, and how they should be governed to sustain economic growth. Equally important is a foundation of high-quality data and interoperable software that facilitates user authentication, improves access to cloud services, and fuels the creation of new digital businesses. Victorian planners' foresight continues to benefit us more than a century later. We should approach today's infrastructure challenges with the same mindset. ©2025 Project Syndicate Diane Coyle, Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, is the author of 'Cogs and Monsters: What Economics Is, and What It Should Be' (Princeton University Press, 2021) and 'The Measure of Progress: Counting What Really Matters' (Princeton University Press, 2025).
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gun range could become skatepark or energy centre
A former rifle range and undercroft by Blackfriars Bridge could find a new use as a skatepark or energy centre. The site has been occupied since 2017 by Bazalgette Tunnel Ltd for the construction of the Thames Tideway tunnel. It will now return to either the City of London Corporation or Transport for London once it is determined which of the two bodies is the legal owner. Thames Water will manage the foreshore, which will include a café. The shooting range was shut down to allow for the construction of the tunnel and sits beneath the undercroft. A report by the corporation noted the undercroft was "historically associated with antisocial behaviour" and has been inaccessible, with hoardings around it for decades. Three proposals have been put forward for the redevelopment of the site: A dedicated space for skateboarding and wheeled sports An energy centre delivering low-carbon heat Commercial options, such as kiosks and food and drink outlets A corporation spokesperson said the site was still being used to store materials related to the Tideway Tunnel. A further report detailing costs for each of the reuse options is to be presented to the City of London Corporation committee in early 2026. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to
BBC News
28-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Blackfriars Bridge undercroft could be skatepark or energy hub
A former rifle range and undercroft by Blackfriars Bridge could find a new use as a skatepark or energy site has been occupied since 2017 by Bazalgette Tunnel Ltd for the construction of the Thames Tideway will now return to either the City of London Corporation or Transport for London once it is determined which of the two bodies is the legal Water will manage the foreshore, which will include a café. The shooting range was shut down to allow for the construction of the tunnel and sits beneath the undercroft.A report by the corporation noted the undercroft was "historically associated with antisocial behaviour" and has been inaccessible, with hoardings around it for proposals have been put forward for the redevelopment of the site:A dedicated space for skateboarding and wheeled sportsAn energy centre delivering low-carbon heat Commercial options, such as kiosks and food and drink outletsA corporation spokesperson said the site was still being used to store materials related to the Tideway Tunnel.A further report detailing costs for each of the reuse options is to be presented to the City of London Corporation committee in early 2026.
The Independent
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
King jokes with workers during visit to London's super sewer
A 'humongous horror' of rain will come, the King jokingly reassured workers during a visit to London's new super sewer. Charles visited the Thames Tideway Tunnel on Wednesday to mark the completion of the 10-year project, which is designed to protect the River Thames from sewage pollution well into the future. The 25km long sewer will intercept, store and ultimately transfer sewage waste away from the Thames with a combined capacity of 1.6 million metres squared. Tideway said the super sewer will reduce sewage pollution into the river by 95%. Thames Water will then operate the system as part of its London wastewater network. The King met construction workers and storemen at the project in Embankment, central London, to see first-hand the benefits of the system and see the technology in action. When told some sewage work is made easier when it rains, he joked: 'Don't worry, it's all going to come in one humongous horror.' The project took 20,000 people eight years to build, costing £4.5 billion, and is one of the largest engineering projects the capital has seen in recent years, stretching from Acton to Beckton. The tunnel is 7.2 metres in diameter, the equivalent of three London double-decker buses, and the two connection tunnels are five and two metres in diameter, respectively. Four giant tunnelling machines were used to excavate the main super sewer. During his visit, Charles met poet Dorothea Smartt, whose poetry about the Thames is printed on the site's ventilation columns. The King asked: 'Have you done a different poem on each one?' Thames Tideway chief executive Andy Mitchell, who gave the King a tour of the site, said: 'The King was fascinated with the detail, the quality, the humanity of the space. 'The team was absolutely thrilled the King commented on the quality. There's huge passion here.' To get to the site, Charles rode the Mars Clipper, an Uber Boat usually used by passengers into and out of central London. He waved at a group cheering from a passing boat. The pair laughed about Mr Collins' experience rowing on the Thames.
Rhyl Journal
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
King jokes with workers during visit to London's super sewer
Charles visited the Thames Tideway Tunnel on Wednesday to mark the completion of the 10-year project, which is designed to protect the River Thames from sewage pollution well into the future. The 25km long sewer will intercept, store and ultimately transfer sewage waste away from the Thames with a combined capacity of 1.6 million metres squared. Charles met construction workers and storemen at the project (Toby Melville/PA) Tideway said the super sewer will reduce sewage pollution into the river by 95%.Thames Water will then operate the system as part of its London wastewater network. The King met construction workers and storemen at the project in Embankment, central London, to see first-hand the benefits of the system and see the technology in action. When told some sewage work is made easier when it rains, he joked: 'Don't worry, it's all going to come in one humongous horror.' The project took 20,000 people eight years to build, costing £4.5 billion, and is one of the largest engineering projects the capital has seen in recent years, stretching from Acton to Beckton. Charles was given a tour of the project by Andy Mitchell, chief executive of the Thames Tideway Tunnel Project (Toby Melville/PA) The tunnel is 7.2 metres in diameter, the equivalent of three London double-decker buses, and the two connection tunnels are five and two metres in diameter, respectively. Four giant tunnelling machines were used to excavate the main super sewer. During his visit, Charles met poet Dorothea Smartt, whose poetry about the Thames is printed on the site's ventilation columns. The King asked: 'Have you done a different poem on each one?' Thames Tideway chief executive Andy Mitchell, who gave the King a tour of the site, said: 'The King was fascinated with the detail, the quality, the humanity of the space. 'The team was absolutely thrilled the King commented on the quality. There's huge passion here.' The king travelled to the project on the Mars Clipper, an Uber Boat usually used by passengers (Toby Melville/PA) To get to the site, Charles rode the Mars Clipper, an Uber Boat usually used by passengers into and out of central London. He waved at a group cheering from a passing boat. To Uber Boat chief executive Sean Collins, the King asked: 'Does it (Uber Boat services) go all year round?' The pair laughed about Mr Collins' experience rowing on the Thames.
