HC 727

Supplementary written evidence submitted by
St Pancras and Somers Town Planning Action (UKCMRI 11a)

Please accept the following responses to the hearing of 9th February 2011

Clustering

Professor Savill said he could produce a peer reviewed paper on the efficacy of scientific clustering for scientific research (something SPA has sought for months from UKCMRI) Does the paper that Professor Savill cites specify as essential that clustering should be all in one building?

Space

UKMRI acknowledge it will be impossible to expand on the 3.6 acres site. They might then expand into ‘satellites’ scattered around London and the UK (Edinburgh cited by Professor Savill). What is the point of getting everything and everybody into one building from surrounding sites, and then ricocheting research back to where it came from?

Funding

Interested parties are entitled to have a more detailed financial estimate for building and extras than was provided on Wednesday 9th February by UKCMRI

Time

Harpal Kumar stressed that UKCMRI would enable scientific advances to be speeded up. Even if this is so (we query that it is essential) scientific research will not commences at UKCMRI for many years. Their estimates range from six to eight years, by the time they get building completed, staff in place and research started. Despite Sir Mark Walport’s assurance that the partners’ track record would deliver this project on time, there could be delays.

Assuming that all goes to plan – say seven years – then research will have to go quickly to make up for that lapsed time in which scientific research could have conducted throughout the period.

Safety

On the subject of safety Sir Mark Walport says: "In terms of health and safety, health and safety is the responsibility of everyone working in a building".

Rob Inglis wishes to cite his experience as a temporary clerk at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. When asked why he took so long to return with copies from the photocopier, he explained the only available route took a long time. His workmates described to him the shorter route that they all took. "But that’s through a room with skull and crossbones on the doors". He was told yes, that was the route to take.

Human frailty cannot be eradicated, even by UKCMRI, in which there will be innumerable choices to make, and safety rules to be broken - near to a built up area and a large train terminus.

St Pancras and Somers Town Planning Action

February 2011