13 Annex B: Committee Visits
During the inquiry the Committee made seven visits
to inspect a variety of sites on the proposed Crossrail Route.
The Committee welcomed the participation of Petitioners, relevant
experts and Crossrail representatives. At each location we were
given an overview of the particular issues that had been raised
by Petitioners, together with construction methodology.
A recurrent issue from many Petitioners was the question
of noise levels in relation to the construction and the running
of a railway, insofar as what levels of noise would be acceptable
or not, together with what could be achieved, and what could not.
Therefore, in addition to these visits, the Committee attended
a noise tutorial organised by Mr Rupert Thornely-Taylor at the
London Underground offices at 55 Broadway, London. The Committee
experienced the sorts of noise and noise attenuation that would
be expected on construction sites today.
Liverpool
Street to Farringdon
19 January
2006
| Mr Alan Meale
Mr Brian Binley
Ms Katy Clark
Mr Philip Hollobone
| | Kelvin Hopkins
Mrs Siân C. James
Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger
Sir Peter Soulsby
|
The visit to Liverpool Street was timed to coincide with the 0845-0900
period to allow the Committee to understand the level of congestion
at the busiest time. The visit enabled the Committee to have an
overview of the proposed works at Liverpool Street Station and
Moorgate Station and the potential effects on the current mainline
and underground stations, including an indication of siting of
the proposed western ticket hall. The Committee were shown how
the surrounding surface vicinity would be affected by the proposed
works.
We then visited Farringdon to understand the impact
of a station on the surrounding area, including Charterhouse Street,
Hayne Street, Long Lane and Lindsey Street to the East of Smithfield
market and the site of Cardinal House at the junction of Farringdon
Road and Cowcross Street to the West.
Tottenham
Court Road to Hyde Park
14 February
2006
|
Mr Alan Meale
Mr Brian Binley
Ms Katy Clark
Mr Philip Hollobone
Kelvin Hopkins
| | Mrs Siân C. James
Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger
Mrs Linda Riordan
Sir Peter Soulsby
|
The Committee were shown the proposed site of an emergency ventilation
and intervention site at Fisher Street, WC1. They were then taken
to the Astoria Site, bounded by Oxford Street, Charing Cross Road,
Sutton Row and Falconberg Court, where the eastern ticket hall
of proposed Tottenham Court Road Station would be located. Following
this the Committee visited the premises of the British Board of
Film Classification, a Petitioner against the Bill, before viewing
the site of the Fareham Street ventilation shaft together with
the western ticket hall site.
The Committee were then taken to the proposed site
of Bond Street Station which would lie approximately 100 metres
south of Oxford Street. We were shown the site of 18/19 Hanover
Square which would accommodate the eastern ticket hall of Bond
Street Station and the ventilation and emergency escape on Tenterden
Street. We were then shown the location of the proposed western
ticket hall which would occupy the block bounded by Davies Street,
St. Anselm's Place, Gilbert Street and Weighhouse Street (the
entrance being on the corner of Davies Street and Weighhouse Street).
We were then driven to two further locations at Park
Lane and to Bayswater Road at Lancaster Gate, to enable the Committee
to have an overview of the ventilation and emergency shafts proposed
in the central reservation of Park Lane and at Hyde Park.
Whitechapel
and Hanbury Street
23 May
2006
|
Mr Alan Meale
Kelvin Hopkins
Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger
| | Mrs Linda Riordan
Sir Peter Soulsby
|
The Committee went on a site visit to Whitechapel. The Committee
were given a tour of the London Underground station and were shown
how Crossrail would interchange with the current District and
East London Lines. We were shown the locations of the proposed
eastern and western ticket halls, at Cambridge Heath Road and
Fulbourne Street respectively. The Committee went to Durward Street
to see where the proposed ventilation and escape shaft would be
and visited Swanlea School and Kempton Court, the premises of
two of the Petitioners within the area to witness how they would
be affected by the proposals.
The Committee were then taken to the proposed site
of the Hanbury Street Shaft where emergency access and ventilation
would be provided. We were shown the area bounded by Princelet
Street, Spelman Street, Greatorex Street and Hanbury Street and
the proposed route of lorries travelling east of the site which
would remove the excavated material.
Paddington
20 June
2006
|
Ms Katy Clark
Mr Philip Hollobone
Kelvin Hopkins
| | Mrs Siân C. James
Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger
John Pugh
|
The Committee's visit to Paddington Station included a tour of
various features of the station that would be affected by the
Crossrail Bill, including The Lawn, the Clock and Horse Arches,
and Platforms 1 and 12. We were shown where the Crossrail Station
would be constructed beneath Eastbourne Terrace. The Committee
were shown potential impact of works in respect of Praed Street,
London Street, Bishop's Bridge Road, the Triangle and Canalside
and Westbourne Terrace.
The Committee then visited the proposed site of the
Royal Oak Portal, where Crossrail's tunnels would surface and
join with the existing tracks before the service continued west.
The Committee toured the Royal Oak worksite and portal site and
were shown the location of the permanent turnback facility at
Westbourne Park in relation to the external bus parking facility,
the concrete batching plant, Paddington New Yard, the Alfred Road
Academy site and the connecting footbridge where it crossed the
Great Western Main Line.
Woolwich
19 October
2006
|
Mr Alan Meale
Ms Katy Clark
Kelvin Hopkins
Mrs Siân C. James
| | Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger
John Pugh
Mrs Linda Riordan
Sir Peter Soulsby
|
The Committee were first shown Warren Lane Shaft, a ventilation
and intervention shaft, just south of the River Thames. We were
then taken to the proposed Crossrail station at the former Royal
Arsenal West site where we were shown the ventilation shafts and
possible station entrances on the north and south sides of Plumstead
Road. The Committee were then shown the proximity of the proposed
Docklands Light Railway station and the town centre to the proposed
site.
Bond Street,
Paddington and Old Oak Common
22 February
2007
|
Mr Alan Meale
Kelvin Hopkins
| | Mrs Siân C. James
|
The Committee visited Bond Street during the 0845-0900 period
to understand the level of congestion together with the passenger
flow currently experienced between the Bakerloo, Central and Jubilee
lines. We were shown the premises of GE Pensions Ltd at 354 to
358 Oxford Street and 1 Marylebone Lane which Crossrail had proposed
for compulsory acquisition for the construction of a new London
Underground ticket hall and to assist in the congestion relief
of Bond Street Station.
The Committee then visited the residential block
at Brewers Court at Paddington to note its proximity to the potential
noise impact of works at 4-18 Bishop's Bridge Road which would
be demolished and where a service deck would be constructed.
We then visited Old Oak Common in west London where
it was proposed to locate the main Crossrail depot, instead of
at Romford as originally stated in the Bill provisions. The Committee
were also shown the North Pole depot where it was proposed that
English Welsh and Scottish Railway Limited could be relocated
from the Old Oak Common depot.
Isle of
Dogs
8 March
2007
|
Mr Alan Meale
Kelvin Hopkins
| | Mrs Linda Riordan
|
The Committee visited Poplar Dock which would be affected by the
impact of works at the Isle of Dogs. We shown around the Poplar
Dock, home to the Poplar Dock Boat Owners Association who petitioned
the Bill.
The Committee were then taken to see the site of
the proposed Isle of Dogs Station and were shown the locations
of the eastern and western ticket halls.
We were then taken to the Canary Wharf Group Ltd
marketing suite at 1 Canada Square to view the surrounding area
to understand the impact of the works at the Isle of Dogs.
| 
