Examination of Witnesses (Questions 19160
- 19179)
19160. Mr Mould: I want to be helpful.
I am conscious of the need to try and avoid too much time being
taken. I think we will want to keep to a fairly tight timetable
to avoid kicking the remaining Committee programme out of kilter.
The other particular point which has been raised again today is
knocking a new access point through the structure, broadly in
this location, Mr Berryman has explained the difficulties of use,
the very severe difficulties that you see in relation to that,
constant problems in relation to the construction of the mainline
railway. We would envisage asking our consultants to look at the
point I have mentioned in relation to the engineering and operational
feasibility of using this passageway as a second entrance. Mr
Berryman, can you give a snap judgement, if one was to widen that
to do a preliminary appraisal of the sheer feasibility of knocking
through here, is that something you could do?
19161. Chairman: Let me say on behalf
of the Committee, we have great confidence in Mr Berryman as an
engineer, and he is a solution-finder and has been in many instances
in the past, but we would just ask that he goes away and has a
fresh look at this on the wider remit which has been suggested.
19162. Mr Mould: Yes. Sir, I see the
force of that, I just want to know whether it is going to add
substantially to the time taken in doing that work. What do you
think, Mr Berryman?
(Mr Berryman) I think it will take us a couple
of weeks to do that. I do not think we could do it quicker.
19163. Mr Straker: Sir, we think it is
really an important matter in terms of the future and so we have
no observation as far as the time is concerned. What we would
say is there should be sufficient time to enable the work to be
done properly with sufficient liaison and taking, as you put it,
sir, a wider picture which might include even conceivably the
idea of taking a lift up from the bus station side so as to gain
access so as to overcome further problems. Sir, we do not make
any comment as far as the time is concerned beyond that observation
that there must be a sufficient amount of time for the work to
be done properly.
19164. Chairman: We do have time constraints.
19165. Mr Staker: Sir, I would not dispute
that.
19166. Chairman: I would say look at
it for the two weeks which have been suggested.
19167. Mr Mould: Sir, 14 days to complete
the report and then seven days to report back to the Committee,
if that is convenient?
(Mr Berryman) Sir, I wonder if a visit to the
site might be useful?
The witness withdrew
19168. Chairman: Yes, we will liaise
over that suggestion. Mr Mould, would you like to make a closing
statement? 19169.
Mr Staker: Sir, if I can just add, in
the circumstances, it might be unnecessary for me to ask any questions
in cross-examination given that further work is going to be done
on the wider remit as indicated. Sir, unless you would particularly
press me to ask questions, I am not proposing to press on the
Committee my right to do so?
19170. Mr Mould: Sir, likewise I wonder
whether the sensible thing to do is await the further work and
then if we need to come back before you in relation to that work,
I can address that at a later stage?
19171. Chairman: Mr Mould, thank you
very much. Might I just ask, who is dealing with the next matter?
19172. Mr Mould: Sir, the only other
Petitioner who I think is appearing today is PRACT and Ms Lieven
is going to be taking the lead on that.
19173. Chairman: Are you ready now or
would you prefer this afternoon?
19174. Ms Lieven: No, sir, we are ready,
but we understand that the representative of PRACT cannot come
until this afternoon. I think it was to do with a caring responsibility
which he had, so he could only come this afternoon. We had anticipated
we would start again at 2.30 today.
19175. Chairman: Therefore we will meet
again at 2.30.
After a short adjournment
The Petition of Paddington Residents' Active Concern
on Transport.
Mr John Zamit appeared on behalf of the Petitioner.
19176. Chairman: The next Petition is
the Paddington Residents' Active Concern on Transport represented
by Mr John Zamit. Ms Lieven, would you like to add anything?
19177. Ms Lieven: Yes, sir. A slight
technical hitch as Mr Fry has just gone out, but I will do my
best. Sir, the PRACT petition against AP3 concerned, unsurprisingly,
Paddington Station. The Committee are going to hear today and
tomorrow about Paddington Station, and then there are some petitioners
coming in a couple of weeks' time. I was just going to very, very
briefly remind the Committee about what is going on at Paddington
Station and also about the AP3 works, so that when we come to
the Residents' Association the Committee can understand what is
going on here.[30]
19178. The Committee will remember there were
very extensive works planned at Paddington Station by Crossrail;
that the principal elements are: a new station underneath Eastbourne
Terrace—and Eastbourne Terrace is important so it is important
the Committee note it is the road that goes alongside of Paddington
Station to roughly the west. There will be links in from the Crossrail
station into the mainline and London Underground stations where
I am indicating on the plan. The other really major work is on
the other side, the east side of Paddington Station where what
is called the Red Star Deck is to be used for taxis. I will come
back to that in a moment.
19179. There are two principal changes in the
AP3 and supplementary ES to do with Paddington. If we can put
up page 27 of the Environmental Statement.[31]
The first is that Eastbourne Terrace was originally intended to
be put back at the level it is at the moment, but we changed the
scheme so that the whole of Eastbourne Terrace has to be dug up
during the scheme, as Mr Berryman explained last time, and it
is in phases. We are now intending to put it back three metres
lower than it is at the moment. Looking at this exhibit, here
is the Crossrail station in its box; to its east is what is called
Departures Road; for those of you who are familiar with Paddington
that is where you get your taxis at the moment; and to the west
is the rest of Eastbourne Terrace. This shows the box, the buildings
on the other side of Eastbourne Terrace which the Committee is
going to be concerned about tomorrow, and Eastbourne Terrace sloping
down to three metres lower at the lowest point than it is at the
moment.
30 Crossrail Supplementary Environmental Statement
3, Paddington Station-Eastbourne Terrace, Amendment of Provisions-Transport
Links, Map C2(iv), billdocuments.crossrail.co.uk (LINEWD-AP3C2-005). Back
31
Crossrail Environmental Statement AP3, Artists impression of
Proposed Works at Eastbourne Terrace, billdocuments.crossrail.co.uk
(LINEWD-AP303-005). Back
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