Swan Draw Dock

The Environment Agency, alongside our construction partner Balfour Beatty, are currently refurbishing the tidal defences at Swan Draw Dock, on the northern shore of the River Thames in Hammersmith and Fulham, around 100 metres east of Putney Bridge. The draw dock forms part of the River Thames and protects the community from flooding and needs repair to maintain the protection it provides to Fulham.

The eastern and northern walls of the draw dock are now at the end of their serviceable live and need to be repaired.


This work will help to maintain the standard of protection the defence provides to people, properties and infrastructure from flooding from the River Thames.

The flood defence works will continue until spring 2027 and include:

  • Removal and replacement of the northern wall
  • Remediation and strengthening of the eastern wall
  • Brickwork repairs


We are engaging with those affected by the works and the wider community to provide important project information and to highlight future drop-ins and events where you can ask us questions and share experiences. We also want to hear any of your thoughts and concerns about the project as it continues. You can find details of our regular drop-ins and other engagement events on the right hand side of this page.


Please do register and subscribe to this project page so we can let you know when we share updates. Alternatively, please email our project mailbox provided on the right of this page to request to be added to our mailing list.

The Environment Agency, alongside our construction partner Balfour Beatty, are currently refurbishing the tidal defences at Swan Draw Dock, on the northern shore of the River Thames in Hammersmith and Fulham, around 100 metres east of Putney Bridge. The draw dock forms part of the River Thames and protects the community from flooding and needs repair to maintain the protection it provides to Fulham.

The eastern and northern walls of the draw dock are now at the end of their serviceable live and need to be repaired.


This work will help to maintain the standard of protection the defence provides to people, properties and infrastructure from flooding from the River Thames.

The flood defence works will continue until spring 2027 and include:

  • Removal and replacement of the northern wall
  • Remediation and strengthening of the eastern wall
  • Brickwork repairs


We are engaging with those affected by the works and the wider community to provide important project information and to highlight future drop-ins and events where you can ask us questions and share experiences. We also want to hear any of your thoughts and concerns about the project as it continues. You can find details of our regular drop-ins and other engagement events on the right hand side of this page.


Please do register and subscribe to this project page so we can let you know when we share updates. Alternatively, please email our project mailbox provided on the right of this page to request to be added to our mailing list.

  • March 2026 Update - How are we doing?

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    Our works continue ahead of schedule. We are continuing the concrete and brickworks on the eastern wall. Works will begin on the northern wall later this year.

    Installation of reinforcing bars for the dock's eastern wall

    Concrete poured to provide a level surface for the capping beam to sit on top of the piles















    The footpath diversion via Gonville Street and across Putney Bridge Approach is still in place for practical and safety reasons. This will be in place for the remainder of the project, until spring 2027. We understand this diversion has changed they way people usually commute or travel around the local area and we are sorry for the inconvenience of the footpath closure.

    Please take a minute to fill in our survey to let us know how we're doing and what you think of our engagement so far. Thank you to everyone who has already shared their thoughts https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/embeds/projects/39733/survey-tools/53378.

    We have set up a Wikipedia page online for Swan Draw Dock so that the history of the dock is more accessible. Local historians will be able to add information over time and link to other relevant Wikipedia pages. There have been almost 300 page views so far. Take a look on your computer or phone at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Draw_Dock.

    For more monthly updates, take a look at the monthly newsletters section to view progress and interesting updates and developments throughout the construction project.

    We are always happy to hear from the community or anyone interested in our work. If you have a question not answered by the information on this site, please get in touch with our project team at SwanDrawDock@Environment-Agency.gov.uk.

  • Construction Progress - June 2025

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    We have continued to make good progress with the works, completing the following over the last month:

    • More than 100 lorry loads of fill material imported into the dock to construct a working platform
    • Carried out a bat survey ensuring that no roosting bats were present within the dock walls
    • Commenced demolition of the eastern dock wall
    • Dug trial holes in the Carrera Wharf residential gardens to locate concrete obstructions and cables

    A few common questions from this month

    Why is a section of Willow Bank closed? It was the most practical location for the work compound. The width of the compound is the minimum required to meet Construction Design and Management regulations. Local shops remain open as usual.

    When will the footbridge re-open? The Council closed the footbridge for safety reasons. We are meeting with the Council regularly to keep the community up to date.

  • Construction Progress - May 2025

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    We have made good progress on our construction programme throughout May. We have:

    • De-watered the dock to allow future works to continue
    • Rescued fish whilst draining the dock
    • Removed silt from the dock using the tide
    • Formed a ramp into the dock which allowed us to remove the excess silt and shingles
    • Removed the garden brick walls on the eastern side to allow access for future works
      View from the northern wall. We have formed a ramp to continue works in the dock

      One key activity this month included removing lots of silt and shingle from the dock. We were aware that there are historically significant cobblestones on the dock bed which we are pleased to confirm have been preserved and are undamaged. We did this by leaving a protective layer of silt above the cobbles when excavating. We then carefully hand dug to expose the cobbles. Finally, we placed a protective layer of geotextile membrane and plywood sheets to allow main construction works to continue.


    Plywood mats covering the cobbles. Also note the excavator tracks are rubber covered



Page last updated: 26 Mar 2026, 02:19 PM