Judith will bring substantial public sector experience to the PLA. She was most recently chief executive of Local Partnerships LLP, a joint venture between HM Treasury and the Local Government Association. Darren is an executive board director of Costain Group PLC and managing director of infrastructure, one of Costain’s two operating divisions. He is responsible for the delivery of services for customers such as Highways England, Network Rail, Crossrail, London Underground and EDF.

PLA chairman, Christopher Rodrigues CBE, said: “Together they will bring experience of London, planning and regeneration, civil engineering and stakeholder relationships to the table. This will be particularly valuable as we work to realise the potential, set out in the Thames Vision.”

McGrath business director Tara Donaghy said: “We are very pleased to be a part of such a huge project for the capital, upgrading London’s sewerage system to cope with the demands of the city well into the 22nd century. “The work is urgently needed to protect the Thames from overflows of untreated sewage and to meet European environmental standards.”

McGrath will be working alongside prestigious construction groups including BAM Nuttall, Morgan Sindall and Balfour Beatty Group in a joint venture for the west section, while Vinci Construction Grands Projects, Costain and Laing O’Rourke Construction are among the groups involved in the central and east sections. It is expected to be completed in 2023.

Two new non-executive directors have joined the PLA board. Judith Armitt has been appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport (in accordance with our Port of London Act) while Darren James is a board appointment.

Recycling specialists McGrath have been drafted in to remove waste from the ‘central’ section of the Thames Tideway Tunnel when construction starts next year.

Key to the move was the company’s ability to transport the tunnelling spoil by water, made possible by two wharfs at Barking Creek.

Using London’s river is arguably the most efficient and sustainable way to move bulk materials to and from the site. However, until the infrastructure is in place to crane-load waste into barges, the waste will be collected in skips. And when one vessel discharges at Barking Creek it will save the equivalent of 140 lorry journeys, lessening the project’s carbon footprint and helping to tackle congestion on the capital’s roads.

McGrath will supply crane lifting skips (lockable and open) to collect the mix of waste being produced.