Desalination gets the all clear

Thames Water has welcomed the announcement this month by the new mayor of London, Boris Johnson, that he has withdrawn the legal challenge to the government’s decision to grant planning permission for the Thames Gateway desalination plant.

In 2004, Thames Water submitted a planning application to the London borough of Newham. Although the application was approved, Ken Livingstone, the then mayor of London, directed Newham to refuse it.

Thames Water appealed against the decision, and a public inquiry was held in 2006. The planning inspector dismissed the mayor's arguments and recommended the project should go ahead. The government agreed, granting planning permission last year. Mayor Livingstone launched a legal challenge to the decision, which was due to reach the High Court in May 2008.

Thames Water CEO David Owens said that the news was a victory for common sense. 'Our (recent) draft Water Resources Management Plan highlights how London's rapidly growing population will be at increased risk of water restrictions in future droughts if we don’t have additional sources of water,' he said.