Examination of Witnesses (Questions 15880
- 15899)
15880. Can I ask to have circulated a letter
written on behalf of ExCel by a Mr Bob Parker, who is a Division
Director of Peter Brett Associates, who is writing to the London
Borough of Newham on your behalf in respect of the ExCel Phase
2 development. This is P114. If I read the first paragraph just
to set the context of this letter. It is the second page I am
interested in. It is written to the Transport Planner at the London
Borough of Newham and it says: "Excel Phase 2—Transport
and Highways Support: ExCel is proposing to implement a second
phase of the exhibition centre and will accordingly be submitting
a Reserved Matters Application in early autumn 2006". Then
it sets out various facts about that application. It is a letter
seeking Newham's agreement as to what work has to be done on Reserved
Matters. If we look at the second page and the first full paragraph:
"It is also anticipated that in the future the implementation
of the Crossrail Scheme plus other schemes to upgrade the DLR
will further increase the accessibility of the site by public
transport and allow an even higher public transport mode share
to be achieved. The original projections anticipated that 50%
of people were likely to travel to and from ExCel by car. In practice
for most shows about 70% of people have travelled by public transport
and the target with Crossrail is to increase this proportion to
around 80%."[85]
What your own transport planners are saying to the local planning
authority is the consequence of Crossrail is a modal shift of
about 10 per cent of your visitors?
(Mr Melrose) Yes.
15881. It is very crude, but if one assumes
that what you are saying to Newham for the benefit of your Reserve
Matters Planning Permission is correct, a modal shift of about
10 per cent would free up the need for about 500 car parking spaces?
Ten% of 5,000 in very crude terms?
(Mr Melrose) I am not sure
how you get 500 spaces. If we take our visitor footfall, which
is 1.5 million, and we are saying 20% of those come in by car,
which is 20,000 [sic], 25,000 [sic], whatever, if we are looking
at a car split of 2.2 passengers per car that may be significantly
less.
15882. That is fine. Free up about 200 car parking
spaces, yes?
(Mr Melrose) Yes.
15883. The consequence of that is as a result
of Crossrail you would need that much less car parking space and,
in order to make up for the loss of 16 artic HGV spaces, you would
designate a part, only a part, of your surface level car parking
to artics instead? You would have to re-jig your car parking a
bit but you would have that space, would you not?
(Mr Melrose) No, I do not
see us having that space, because our car parking is going to
go under the venue
15884. We agreed a few minutes ago, Mr Melrose—
I completely accept there will be a significant amount of under-croft
car parking but on your own plans it is clear that there will
continue to be a proportion of surface level car parking on the
Phase 2 scheme to the east of the ExCel Centre. You may in the
future chose to sell it for some other use—
(Mr Melrose) But that would
compromise our future plans.
15885. If you choose to sell the land for some
other use or develop it for some other use, that is not really
Crossrail's problem, is it?
(Mr Melrose) I do not see
why as a venue our operation, our business, should be compromised
in the future as to how we wish to develop the site, when actually
we have a system that works at this moment that supports our business.
15886. Ms Lieven: Thank you, Mr Melrose.
15887. Mr Liddell-Grainger: I am going
to suspend the Committee for five minutes.
After a short break
15888. Ms Lieven: I am sorry, sir. Could
I have a moment for Mr Berryman to be brought back?
15889. Mr Liddell-Grainger: Yes, that
is no problem. Mr Melrose, I am going to let you know your evidence
is A 178. It is a single sheet, just to remind you. I am sorry
I should have done it before, apologies.
15890. Mr Newcombe: I should have reminded
the Committee. I am grateful.
15891. Ms Lieven: It is all right, Mr
Berryman is back.
15892. Mr Newcombe: Mr Melrose, a couple
of points which arise, please. Firstly, you were taken to the
minutes of the meeting of 26 June and the proposition being put
to you was essentially, "Why did not you tell us about Phase
2 at an earlier stage?" Do you recall that?
(Mr Melrose) I do.
15893. Could we have up, please, the MacDonald
report, Promoter's page 011.[86]
Can we close in, please, on the first complete paragraph in the
right-hand column. I am going to read to you there a short extract,
Mr Melrose. It refers there to the ExCel having parking for 4,000
cars, do you see that?
(Mr Melrose) I do.
15894. It refers to other matters within the
ExCel complex including several hotels, that is on the third line.
Do you have that?
(Mr Melrose) Yes.
15895. The parking areas are identified as ranging
in size from small vans and cars to the largest of lorries?
(Mr Melrose) Yes.
15896. Then the sentence to which I want to
direct your attention: "Mott MacDonald identifies significant
development is underway through the site in accordance with the
Urban Framework Plan. This includes construction of new residential
dwellings, et cetera". Do you see that?
(Mr Melrose) Yes, I do.
15897. What do you understand Mott MacDonald
had in mind as regards the development proposals of ExCel at the
time they were writing their report?
(Mr Melrose) The long-term
development of the ExCel site which includes all the residential
units, the hotels, and references the Phase 2 development is all
detailed in the urban framework plan.
15898. Thank you. Can we then, please, have
Promoter's exhibit, this is in the 17304A sequence. In the plans
of diagrams, 003, please.[87]
Just look at the rather Linda Barker lime green area there. Do
you see that?
(Mr Melrose) Yes.
15899. That is what, as we understand it, Crossrail
is now proposing as some form of a solution. Is that a solution
which Mott MacDonald identified?
(Mr Melrose) No, it is not.
85 Crossrail Ref: P114, Correspondence from ExCel
to London Borough of Newham (SCN-20060713-009) Back
86
Crossrail Ref: P111, Overview of the Existing Transport Infrastructure
at ExCel, Crossrail Corridor South Eastern Route, April 2006 (NEWMLB-7304B-011) Back
87
Crossrail Ref: P111, Proposed Lorry Parking Areas (NEWMLB-7304A-003). Back
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