Examination of Witnesses (Questions 12080
- 12099)
12080. Finally, could we have a copy of your
air quality maps for your borough which will show areas of great
concern, particularly transport thoroughfares and so forth. That,
I think, might determine our approach towards this issue about
whether monitoring is immediately needed, as well as the simple
request as to whether it is the right or the wrong thing to do,
whichever perception one has. That kind of information very strategically
placed in front of the Committee might help us in our endeavours.
Is that possible, Mr Cameron?
12081. Mr Cameron: Sir, I am sure it
is possible. The issue is when. I suspect it is not possible this
morning. Can we send it in later?
12082. Chairman: I fully understand that,
but if we could have a note from you or Mr Denington about that,
that would be extremely helpful for Committee members.
12083. Mr Cameron: Of course, sir.
12084. Chairman: Mr Taylor?
Cross-examined by Mr Taylor
12085. Mr Taylor: Mr Denington, am I
right in saying that essentially the concern that the Council
has is to ensure that the measures that are to be taken on site
to control the emission of dust are effective?
(Mr Denington) Yes, I think I said during the
presentation that the measures that have been laid out by the
Promoter of the Bill are likely to be effective and they are considered
to be largely best practice. Many of them I would recognise as
being drawn from existing codes of practice.
12086. You have set out indeed all the measures,
I think, on pages 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 of your exhibits
to the Committee. If we look at page 27 just for a moment where
we see about tier 3 dust control procedures, there is reference
to having personnel on site, is there not, with a responsibility
to monitor and manage dust emissions?[43]
(Mr Denington) Yes, there is.
12087. In your view, in terms of ensuring that
dust control procedures are effective, what is better—to
have a person on site with responsibility for that or to use a
machine to analyse the data?
(Mr Denington) In my view, both are in fact
useful, but the problem with just on-site monitoring by somebody
nominated to, say, have a hand-held device is that these are effectively
taking snatch samples, very short-term samples, which may not
actually reflect the averages that are being experienced over
a period of time and it is probably true to say that it is the
averages over an hour, perhaps even every day, which are just
as significant as a very fleeting instance which might or might
not be picked up by a monitor. The other thing with personnel
on site with hand-held monitors is that it very much depends how
many of them there are, how quickly they can reach particular
problem areas and so forth as to how effective that kind of monitoring
is.
12088. Can a monitoring machine identify which
particular technique is not being carried out properly on the
site?
(Mr Denington) Not necessarily, no.
12089. Can a man on site identify which technique
is not being carried out effectively?
(Mr Denington) I would argue there again that
if the man on site cannot get to the point on the site where the
problem is quickly enough, that may not be particularly effective
either.
12090. Can a machine tell you, of the dust that
it measures through the light scatter, where the dust is coming
from?
(Mr Denington) Not unless it is a directional
device.
12091. Can it identify, for example, whether
dust arising from the portal site is actually the dust that is
causing the elevated level or whether it might be dust from, say,
works carried out on the operational railway by Network Rail and
its contractors?
(Mr Denington) Of itself, probably not, no.
12092. Can a man on site make that distinction?
(Mr Denington) Again I would argue that it
would depend on what access that person has and the nature of
his device, but just returning to the automatic devices we were
referring to, if we do a baseline survey, we will have some idea
of what dust is being generated by the railway in ordinary operation
and, as I say, that background can then be used to compare with
what is actually happening during the construction phases.
12093. You have handed round this morning the
revised Code of Construction Practice for the Docklands Light
Railway (Stratford International Extension) Order. That sets out
on a single page the measures identified to prevent dust from
arising. Do you accept that the measures identified in the draft
Code of Construction Practice for the Crossrail project are considerably
more extensive?
(Mr Denington) In the way that they are set
out, they may be, but I am not absolutely familiar with this particular
piece of work because it falls within the London Borough of Newham.
12094. Are you aware that within Schedule 7
of the Bill local planning authorities have powers to approve
dust correction measures for construction operations?
(Mr Denington) I was aware of that, but I believe
that this particular issue should be addressed as early as possible.
12095. In relation to the Royal Oak portal site,
am I right in thinking that that site is not actually within the
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea?
(Mr Denington) That is correct
12096. So in your undertakings that you seek,
where you ask for monitors to be located within that particular
worksite, you are actually asking for monitors to be placed outwith
the boundary of Kensington and Chelsea, but you want to see the
results, do you?
(Mr Denington) Yes, that is correct because
in fact the worksite lies very closely adjacent to part of the
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
12097. Westminster City Council, within whose
administrative boundary the portal site lies, have not raised
concerns regarding the need for dust monitoring with the Committee,
as I understand it.
(Mr Denington) Yes, I understand that is the
case, but I am here to speak for the Royal Borough of Kensington
and Chelsea.
12098. That would suggest that Westminster are
content with what is being proposed by the Promoter, would it
not?
(Mr Denington) I would not wish to comment.
12099. As far as the reason for your concerns
about dust is concerned, you have set out on page 37 of your presentation
that, "Every local authority is obliged ... to review ambient
air quality in their borough. Where levels of air pollution exceed
national air quality objectives, boroughs must take action and
declare air quality management areas".[44]
Yes?
(Mr Denington) Yes, that is correct.
43 Committee Ref: A132, Royal Borough of Kensington
& Chelsea's concerns (KENSRB-31405-028). Back
44
Committee Ref: A132, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea's
approach to air quality issues (KENSRB-31405-038). Back
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