New aerial photography shows the extraordinary changes being made to the banks of the River Thames as part of London’s super sewer project.

With tunnelling complete on the 25km Tideway sewer that will clean up the Thames, the focus is now turning to connecting the system and working on the above-ground public spaces that will be left once the project is complete in 2025. These photos, viewed alongside the artists’ impressions, show the progress made and what is to come.

With space at a premium in London, Tideway, the company building the super sewer, has had to build out into the Thames to house the new infrastructure and, in the process, has created a number of designed spaces along the embankment. These are being turned into a combined three acres of new public space.

Clare Donnelly, lead architect on the Tideway project, said: “Creating new public spaces in the heart of London is an incredible opportunity and it’s so exciting after all these years to see these spaces coming to life.

“New public spaces in Wapping, Blackfriars, Victoria, Vauxhall, Nine Elms, Chelsea and Putney will benefit Londoners and visitors to the city for generations to come, and we can’t wait for them to open.”

London relies on a 150-year-old sewer system built for a population less than half its current size. As a result, millions of tonnes of raw sewage spills, untreated, into the River Thames each year. The 7.2m-diameter tunnel will intercept, store and ultimately transfer sewage waste away from the River Thames.

Preparatory work on the £4.2bn project began in 2015, with construction taking place across 24 sites in London. When the project is finished, many of the public spaces will be sites for public art, with more than 50 pieces commissioned from artists from across the country.

The tunneling phase of the project completed in April 2022 and was marked by a musical recital from composer Rob Lewis, who performed live from the Tideway Tunnel, 70 metres underground.