Examination of Witnesses (Questions 280
- 299)
280. Chairman: I am reluctant to go on
for very much longer. It provides the perfect opportunity to give
Members the chance to be in at the start of Prime Minister's questions.
I think we will adjourn till this afternoon.
281. Mr Laurence: That is an adjournment
until 2.30, is it, sir?
282. Chairman: Yes, 2.30 this afternoon.
After a short adjournment
283. Mr Laurence: Sir, I am going to
ask Mr Cameron, with your leave, to deal with two matters that
were raised by way of question before the adjournment and then
to call Mr Rees, if that is acceptable.
284. Chairman: Mr Elvin, did you want
to comment?
285. Mr Elvin: Can I, sir, if you will
forgive me, just read into the record the fact that the additional
provisions were deposited today, along with the additional provisions'
Environmental Statement.
286. Chairman: By the end of today we
hope to have some response to your concerns which were raised
yesterday.
287. Mr Elvin: Thank you very much, sir.
288. Mr Cameron: Sir, just before calling
Mr Rees, can I attempt to deal with two questions raised this
morning by Members? Mr Binley asked a question about the distance
from the subsurface level when the passenger got off the Crossrail
train to the gate line, so on Figure A in the set of drawings
that Mr Laurence referred to, from point K to the gate line in
ticket hall B, the answer on distance is this: it is measured
horizontally—that is just on the plan (that is all we have
been able to do, so far)—250 metres, and then once the passenger
has left the gate line it is another 75 metres until he or she
gets to the street. That is the distance. I think that probably
answers part of Mr Binley's question. If there are other parts
of it—
289. Chairman: That is 360 metres.
290. Mr Cameron: It is over 300 metres
to get to the street: 250 metres horizontally to get to the gate
line.
291. Mr Binley: Can I just come back
on that very quickly, because this is an important issue and it
is a particularly important issue for those active and, maybe,
less flexible and agile than yourself—that includes me,
I do not suggest the Chairman. We do need to note that, with the
sort of flows of traffic that you are going to have to get through
this length of space, people with disabilities, and so forth,
are not going to be overly inconvenienced. That is a real problem,
as I see it, over such a distance and such an obstacle course
with elevators and so forth, it seems to me.
292. Mr Cameron: Sir, those matters will
be considered certainly in the alternative design we are putting
forward for mobility impaired people access (MIP is the acronym).
Unless you tell me, I do not think there is a specific question
to answer now except to promise you that we will deal with it
when we come to Mr Chapman's alternative design.
293. Mr Binley: As long as it is flagged,
Mr Chairman, I am very happy.
294. Mr Cameron: The second point, sir,
was Sir Peter Soulsby's question to me, and that was about the
exhibit I referred to at Tab 9. Sir, the proportions that you
have in red and blue relate to a land use survey carried out in
the City where officials from the City Corporation visit every
building and they take a record of the number of people employed.
The neighbouring boroughs do not carry out a similar exercise,
so it is not possible to provide an equivalent figure for the
City fringe. However, sir, we have not ignored it; one of our
later witnesses, Tim Spencer, who deals with the passenger numbers,
is going to be able to provide the Committee with 2003 figures
for employment in what he calls the Moorgate area and in the Liverpool
Street area. They are not exactly co-terminus with the radius
drawn from each station because they are blocks or zones. Put
simply, he deals in squares and Mr Rees has dealt in circles.
Mr Spencer has taken the City Corporation's figures from their
land use survey, so the same figures as Mr Rees, but a slightly
different area; he has not got equivalent figures for the City
fringe, so what he has done is taken the Promoter's figures, accepted
them and put them into his calculation and then, for 2016, he
has used that base and taken information about planning permissions,
likely planning permissions, and so forth, and worked out a figure.
It does include the City fringe. So it is a long way of saying
that there will be an answer to the question, it will come in
due course when Mr Spencer gives evidence, but Mr Rees, who I
am about to call, will not be able to help on the detail.
295. Sir Peter Soulsby: That is very
helpful, Mr Chairman.
296. Mr Cameron: If I may, sir, I will
call Mr Rees.
Mr Peter Wynne Rees, sworn
Examined by Mr Cameron
297. Mr Cameron: While Mr Rees is getting
ready, the only documents you will need, as far as I am concerned,
are all in this blue bundle. Mr Rees, if I can introduce you,
you are Peter Wynne Rees. Is that right?
(Mr Rees) Correct.
298. You currently hold the position of City
Planning Officer for the City of London and you have held that
position since 1987. I think I am right in saying that you held
an equivalent position for two years before that.
(Mr Rees) That is correct.
299. So you have 20 years' experience of planning
in the City, as the lead officer responsible for planning.
(Mr Rees) That is true, yes.
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