Campaigners fighting against proposals to build an entrance to the proposed super sewer at Barn Elms will be pleased to hear an alternate location for the build is being considered.

Thames Water, which is to construct the new sewer, announced it was looking at a location in Fulham as a possible site for the 20-mile tunnel's access point as opposed to the Greenfield area on the Barnes and Putney border.

Under the plans three adjacent plots of land facing the river in Fulham - which already have an existing jetty and where the river is wide enough to mean fewer barges could be used to remove excavated soil during construction - could become a possible location for the tunnel construction work.

The announcement of the alternative site for building the entrance shaft, through which Thames Water will lower tunnelling equipment, comes following a public consultation which sparked strong opposition.

Residents had feared the effects of Barn Elms as a preferred site as it would result in construction work 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a week, for three-and-a-half years.

According to the water company, reviews of potential shaft sites and assessments of tunnelling strategy showed Fulham’s Whiffin Wharf, Hurlingham Wharf and Carnwath Business Park, which were previously considered too small, could become a viable option for the project.

Phil Stride, head of London Tideway Tunnels at Thames Water, assured residents they were listening and responding to feedback received to date.

He said: “As we refine the options for the tunnel, the size and potential locations for construction sites are subject to change.

“Both options have their advantages and disadvantages.”

One of the issues members of campaign group Stop the Shaft (STS), which is made up of Barnes and Putney residents, had raised was why Barn Elms as a greenfield site had been listed as a preferred site ahead of other brownfield locations – a point which Thames Water are trying to address.

Mr Stride said: “Unlike Barn Elms playing fields, Carnwath Road Riverside is brownfield, not greenfield, and is already designated for regeneration or industrial use. It is not important for recreation, would not require any tree felling and is not Metropolitan Open Land.

“On the other hand, more residents and businesses would be directly affected at Carnwath Road Riverside than at Barn Elms playing fields.

“I must stress that we have not discounted Barn Elms playing fields as a possible major construction site for the Thames Tunnel."

However even if Barn Elms manages to avoid being the location of a main drive shaft entrance tunnel Thames Water have confirmed it would still need to have a smaller construction site in or near the site to intercept the West Putney Combined Sewer Overflow, which discharges sewage into nearby Beverley Brook.