Examination of Witnesses (Questions 12620
- 12639)
12620. If I could go on to the next photograph
please.[94]
In the final analysis, if it is deemed necessary to use land on
the Guards Club side of the bridge there is a large area of land
beyond this fence that you can see on the photograph which belongs
to Network Rail. This photograph shows the fence, the perimeter
of the park at the car park end where Crossrail wish to position
their site offices, et cetera. This land belonging to Network
Rail stretches right down to the river and it is possible to just
make out, if you are lucky, the arches of the Brunel Bridge on
the bit that is on land. It is a sizable area. We believe that
it may be sufficient land for the "small amount of storage"
and the "small quantity of site accommodation" required.
Those are Crossrail's words. This would mean the Guards Club Park
would not need to be used for these purposes.
12621. If I could return to photograph 7 please.[95]
This shows the path beside the river in the park. The far end
of the park is right next to Network Rail's own land so they would
have easy access on to their path. If it is deemed that the river
cannot be used for access to the island, access would still be
needed along Oldacres for lorry traffic. Crossrail assures us
that there will only be a small amount of lorry traffic which
we can only believe "a very small amount" means different
things to different people, and the people living on that road
do have concerns.
12622. Also access to the island along the path
that we see by the river and via the footbridge would be needed.
The footbridge on the photograph, as I said, could easily be accessed
from Network Rail's own land just by the bridge there.
12623. Finally, if the Select Committee decide
Crossrail should be allowed to use the park, we would really like
to be assured that the site will be cleared immediately the work
is finished and returned to its original state within six months
and not kept as a convenient, useful site for Crossrail to continue
to use when it moves further along the line towards Maidenhead
Station. 13 months is the latest estimate from Crossrail for the
Brunel Bridge work and that is taking into account the nesting
season on the island, which we are pleased to see acknowledged.
Normally there are gates at either end of the footbridge from
the end of January until the end of June so that is a considerable
length of time. During that time these site offices would be sitting
in the Guards Club Park—just sitting not used very much
presumably. Work invariably takes longer than estimated and we
are worried that occupation of that site should just go on and
on.
12624. So, in summary, we would ask the Select
Committee to consider: if this small and beautiful park should
be used at all for this project; if serious consideration should
be given to the use of the river for the purposes that have already
been mentioned; and if the river is not judged to be a viable
option then that Network Rail's own land beside the park should
be used for site offices and storage materials, not Guards Club
Park. Thank you for listening to me.
12625. Sir Peter Soulsby: Thank you very
much indeed. Mr Mould?
12626. Mr Mould: I wonder if we could
put up 04A002.[96]
Sir, whilst that is being put up, all I want to say really in
response is this: as the Petitioner has fairly pointed out, we
have given an undertaking that we will limit the use of the park
as a work compound to ten per cent of the total area. We have
explained to you through Mr Berryman's evidence this morning why
we do not consider that river access by using a barge is an acceptable
alternative to the works compound to serve the west side of the
Maidenhead Bridge. I do not propose to repeat that now. That point
has been made.
12627. So far as the second suggested alternative,
which is the Network Rail land in the area immediately to the
southern boundary of the park, the position is that we have looked
at that area and the minimum requirements for the works compound
that we propose in the south-western corner of the Guards Club
Park, and I put up again for the Committee's convenience the layout
that I explained to the Committee this morning, those facilities,
small and limited as they are, we have looked at the Network Rail
site and there simply is not enough space within that area of
Network Rail land to accommodate the facilities that we require.
So that is not, I regret to say, a suitable alternative.
12628. Turning to the final point that was made
by the Petitioner, I can certainly give an undertaking to the
Committee that once that first phase of work to prepare the Brunel
Bridge for overhead line electrification has been completed (and
you will recall I mentioned there were two phases and the first
phase involved creating foundations) the site will then be cleared
and it certainly will not be used, as it were, as a site in later
stages of the Crossrail programme to serve other remote works
within the Crossrail project. I can give that undertaking.
12629. As to the more detailed merits of the
points that I have just outlined to you, the Committee will be
aware that we have dealt with some of those points this morning.
We are going to be returning to the issue of Guards Club Park
in more detail when the Committee hears the resumption of the
petition of the Royal Borough, and I think Mr Stoker indicated
that that would be the second issue on which he would be calling
evidence. We will come back to the points in more detail in response
to that petition but in the meantime we have, as the Petitioner
indicated, written recently to explain in a little more detail
what our proposals are for this works compound and for the works
on the river. What I can tell the Committee is this: I shall make
sure that we write further to the Petitioners because we have
got some further details that we can provide in relation to what
is proposed and we will do that to give them some more details
about our proposed arrangements for the operation of the worksite
and environmental mitigation and so on and so forth, if that is
convenient to the Committee.
12630. Sir Peter Soulsby: Do you have
at this stage a plan from which we can see the relative position
and size of the Network Rail land?
12631. Mr Mould: Do I have a photograph
of that?
12632. Sir Peter Soulsby: Either a photograph
or a plan. If you do not obviously we could return to that when
we come to the other Petitioner. I think it would be very helpful
for us to see just how big that site is and quite where it is
in relation to this.
12633. Mr Mould: I do not think I have
a plan that will give you any great assistance. 04A001: the area
of land in question is—and I will be corrected if I am wrong—this
area here.[97]
It is an embankment and it has a substantial amount of tree coverage
and it is an area that for the reasons that I have given is simply
not suitable and available to accommodate the works compound that
we need.
12634. What I propose to do is to provide the
Committee with a better scaled plan to be able to compare the
alternative locations that have been put before it for consideration
and provide that to the Committee as soon as possible and also
provide a copy of the plan to the Petitioners.
12635. Sir Peter Soulsby: I think that
will be very helpful. Obviously the Committee, as has been remarked,
has heard considerable evidence about the difficulties and possibilities
of using barges earlier in the day. What we did not hear was any
evidence about this particular site, and whether this was perhaps
an alternative. I think it would be very helpful for us to see
some detailed plans of that when we return to that issue and perhaps
some photographs of what is on that site and what might in whole
or in part be an alternative to the proposal you have got at the
moment.
12636. Mr Mould: I can tell the Committee
that on my reading of the Royal Borough's presentation, the material
we have from them, that is a site that they will raise as well
so we can come back to that point.
12637. Mr Binley: Through you, Chairman,
could I ask looking at this area of land it seems to extend under
the line and on to the other side. Is that so?
12638. Mr Mould: It is difficult for
me, Mr Binley, to see precisely where you are talking about.
12639. Mr Binley: If you look at the
area of land you are talking about and then you look at the railway
line and then you cast your eye down a bit you will see another
similar piece on the other side of the railway line. Is that okay?
Are we together now?
94 Committee Ref: A140, View of boundary to Guards
Club Park (WINSRB-12005-009). Back
95
Committee Ref: A140, View of Maidenhead Bridge (WINSRB-12005-007). Back
96
Crossrail Ref: P102, Maidenhead Railway Bridge-Guards' Club Park
Compound Layout (WINSRB-14604A-002). Back
97
Crossrail Ref: P102, Maidenhead Railway Bridge-Compound Locations
(WINSRB-14604A-001). Back
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