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.

  • 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: 05 Dec 2025, 09:54 AM