Why We Should Revisit the Hammersmith Flyunder
Chiswick Riverside councillor Peter Thompson reports back
Cllr Peter Thompson
October 31, 2025
Why we should revisit the Hammersmith Flyunder
Anyone travelling along the A4 or M4 lately will know just how fragile West London’s road network has become. The M4 elevated section through Brentford and Chiswick is currently undergoing extensive repair work to its 1960s concrete piers, with lane closures and 24/7 traffic management in place until the end of the year and more to come in 2026.
These necessary but disruptive works highlight the need for a long-term solution. Instead of endlessly patching up decaying infrastructure, we should be thinking bigger and bolder. That’s why I’ve written to Hounslow Council Leader Shantanu Rajawat asking for clarity on the borough’s position on the Hammersmith Flyunder proposal.
First developed by Conservatives in Hammersmith & Fulham in 2013–14, the Flyunder would bury the A4 in a tunnel between Hogarth Roundabout and Earl’s Court, reconnecting Hammersmith and Chiswick with the Thames. The feasibility study at the time indicated 89% public support and a potential development value of up to £1 billion.
A decade ago, Hounslow Council backed the idea, recognising that the A4 “forms a physical and perceptual barrier” between Chiswick High Road and the river. With Labour in Hammersmith & Fulham now reviving the scheme, Hounslow should once again be part of the conversation.
The Flyunder remains a Conservative vision: ambitious, practical, and focused on creating a cleaner, quieter, and better-connected West London.
CGI of Hammersmith Flyunder
The A4 has long divided the community — a tunnel could finally reconnect Chiswick and Hammersmith with the Thames.
How Hounslow Labour Turned a Green Success into a Cycling Shambles
Until this autumn, few people could have told you where the boundary lay between the Borough of Hounslow and Ealing. Now, it’s unmistakable a line of abandoned Lime bikes marking the point where Hounslow’s Labour administration decided to end the company’s contract.
Residents across Chiswick have rightly expressed frustration at the chaos that followed. The sight of dozens of Lime bikes stacked up at Chiswick Bridge, Kew Bridge and Gunnersbury Avenue is a symbol of muddled decision-making and of a council more interested in chasing revenue than serving residents or encouraging cycling.
At our recent Chiswick Area Forum, we made no secret of our frustration with this fiasco. Conservative Councillors challenged Council officers to explain why a borough that claims to champion “active travel” has created an artificial barrier to cycling. The response we received was evasive at best and, as later reporting by The Chiswick Calendar showed, some of the Cabinet Member for Transport, Cllr Katherine Dunne, statements appear to have misled local journalists.
Let’s be clear: this was not Lime’s decision. It was Hounslow Council’s instruction to switch off the bikes at the borough border. An email from a senior officer, later published by The Chiswick Calendar, confirms the Council told Lime it was a “requirement” that bikes be disabled at the boundary. Yet residents were told the opposite, that Lime had taken the decision unilaterally.
Meanwhile, the two companies that did win contracts, Voi and Forest, have provided fewer bikes, patchier coverage, and poorer service. Freedom of Information data shows that e-bike journeys in Hounslow have collapsed since Lime was excluded. This is the exact opposite of what an “active travel” policy should achieve.
Astonishingly, a Labour Council that constantly lectures others about sustainable transport could make such a short-sighted decision, putting money before mobility, bureaucracy before common sense.
Bikes parked outside St Michael's and All Angels
Residents deserve better. We need a transport policy based on honesty, practicality, and partnership, not spin, confusion and PR firefighting.
At a time when cycling should be easier, greener and more accessible, Hounslow’s Labour administration has created a ‘Checkpoint Charlie’ for cyclists, blocking the very journeys they claim to promote.
Chiswick Conservatives will continue to press for a sensible, transparent policy that prioritizes residents and riders.
Until then, the row of abandoned Lime bikes on our borders stands as a perfect symbol of Labour’s approach to local government: confused and completely out of touch with everyday life in Chiswick.
£1,000 fines for ‘trying to recycle’ miss the point – we need common-sense action on fly-tipping
One of the biggest frustrations for people here in Chiswick and across the wider Borough of Hounslow is fly-tipping. It’s not glamorous politics, but it really matters. When you see a pile of dumped rubbish at the end of your road, it changes how you feel about the place you live in. It’s about pride, and right now, too many residents feel like the council isn’t getting the basics right.
Over the past year, Hounslow has recorded more than 27,000 fly-tipping incidents, one of the highest figures in London. The council spent around £370,000 clearing it up, yet the problem doesn’t seem to get any better. That works out to about 92 incidents per 1,000 residents, putting Hounslow among the worst-performing boroughs in England.
No Fly-tipping sign
Every week, residents contact me and my colleagues to report rubbish dumped behind garages, near the railway, or on grass verges. People are angry and rightly so. They pay their council tax and expect clean, safe streets.
What makes it worse is when the council then fines people who are actually trying to do the right thing. A recent case in Chiswick Riverside brought this home. A resident living above a shop was issued a £1,000 fine after leaving a neatly folded cardboard box beside a recycling bin. She explained that she has no recycling collection and has repeatedly asked the council how to recycle properly, but was told there was no facility for her type of housing. She left her details on the package, hardly the act of someone trying to hide rubbish, yet she was treated as if she were a fly-tipper.
That doesn’t look like justice; it looks like revenue-raising. Of course, we need enforcement against persistent dumpers and commercial offenders, but fines should be fair and proportionate. A heavy-handed approach against residents trying to recycle in good faith only alienates people and damages trust.
In Chiswick Riverside, we’ve been campaigning for targeted enforcement, better signage, and faster clean-ups at known hotspots such as Hartington Road, Grove Park Terrace, and the alleyways off the A316.
If Hounslow Council truly wants to encourage recycling and civic pride, it must help residents, not threaten them. Let’s focus on stopping real fly-tippers — not punishing those who care about their community.
Pleased to be Reselected to Stand Again for Chiswick Riverside
I’m very pleased to share that since the last time I wrote, Gabriella Giles and I have both been reselected to stand again as Conservative candidates for Chiswick Riverside Ward at the May 2026 local elections.
It has been a real privilege to represent our community over the past seven years. From campaigning to reopen Chiswick Post Office, tackling issues with parking and waste collections, and working to protect our riverside and parks, Gabriella and I have always tried to listen carefully to residents and take practical action on the things that matter most.
We’re also delighted to be joined this time by Jessika Toto-Moukouo, who will stand alongside us as the third Conservative candidate for Chiswick Riverside. Jessika brings great energy and compassion, with strong community roots through her work in the community and as a trustee of the Foundation Wellbeing Trust, which supports families across Hounslow and Ealing.
I know residents will really warm to Jessika’s thoughtful and caring approach. Together, the three of us will continue working hard to stand up for local people, protect our environment, and keep Chiswick Riverside a place we can all be proud of.
Cllr Gabriella Giles, Cllr Peter Thompson and Jessika Toto-Moukouo – Conservative Candidates for Chiswick Riverside
One of the Rewards of Being a Local Councillor
One of the real rewards of being a local councillor is seeing small but important things get done.
Recently, I reported graffiti on the street sign outside Kew Bridge Station. I’m pleased to say that credit is due to the powers that be: it was dealt with swiftly and efficiently.
It might not make headlines, but these small improvements really do make a difference. Clean, well-maintained streets send a message that we care about our community and take pride in where we live.
My thanks go to the Hounslow Highways team for their quick response. If you spot any similar issues, graffiti, broken signage, damaged pavements or streetlights, please do get in touch. Sometimes it’s the little fixes that make the biggest difference to how our area looks and feels.
Together, we can keep our community clean, welcoming, and somewhere we can all be proud to call home.
Reported graffiti - reported and sorted!
Cllr Peter Thompson
peter.thompson@hounslow.gov.uk
07977 395810
DEMOCRACY: DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Anyone can attend public meetings of the council. Most meetings take place on the 6th Floor, Hounslow House, 7 Bath Road, TW3 3EB. Hounslow House is fully accessible. The nearest tube is Hounslow Central which does not have step-free access. Parking in local roads is limited.
Principal meetings are broadcast live on the Council’s YouTube channel
6 November: Planning committee at 7pm
11 November: Cabinet at 7pm
25th November: Borough Council at 7.30pm
Emergencies
You can report emergencies outside office hours by ringing the council on: 020 8583 2222.
CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLOR SURGERIES
Chiswick: Every Saturday from 9.30am to 10.30am at Chiswick Library (the seven Conservative councillors take this surgery in turn).
Gunnersbury: First Saturday of the month from 10am to 11am at The Gunnersbury Triangle Club, Triangle Way, off The Ridgeway, W3 8LU (at least one of the Chiswick Gunnersbury ward councillors takes this surgery).
CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLORS and CONTACTS
Chiswick Gunnersbury ward
Cllr Joanna Biddolph joanna.biddolph@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 703446
Cllr Ron Mushiso ron.mushiso@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 702887
Chiswick Homefields ward
Cllr Jack Emsley jack.emsley@hounslow.gov.uk 07977 396017
Cllr Gerald McGregor gerald.mcgregor@hounslow.gov.uk 07866 784821
Cllr John Todd john.todd@hounslow.gov.uk 07866 784651
Chiswick Riverside ward
Cllr Gabriella Giles gabriella.giles@hounslow.gov.uk 07966 270823
Cllr Peter Thompson peter.thompson@hounslow.gov.uk 07977 395810
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |