Examination of Witnesses (Questions 3080
- 3099)
3080. MR ELVIN: It is usually a couple
of pages of a letter and it is fairly straightforward, to my recollection.
I am sure we can get you some examples if you would like to see
it.
3081. LORD YOUNG OF NORWOOD GREEN: Do
you still send the information to the panel even though the panel
does not meet, so to speak?
3082. MR ELVIN: As far as we are aware,
yes, and we will get Mr Leeks to explain that to you. Can I also
say, while I am on my feet, the Committee should have had a copy
of the notes that I had yesterday when I was opening. I amended
them slightly to make them a little bit more readable, but I hope
they are sufficiently clear.
3083. CHAIRMAN: Thank you, Mr Elvin.
3084. MR MOULD: Just picking up on Lord
Young's point, the panel of course does meet, albeit we would
hope in future it will meet more frequently than it has in the
past, but of course, as you will know, it met on 26 February.
3085. My Lord, we are going to hear petitions,
I think, today which are going to focus on the issue of settlement
and I know that Mr Wheeler is waiting to take the stand and present
those matters on behalf of the Petitioners. It may be helpful
if I spend literally about five minutes just taking your Lordships
through one or two plans that we prepared to show the relationship
of the Petitioners' properties with the line of the tunnels. If
we can have up, please, XR5-A-095 and just to orientate the Committee
we have here in the dotted blue line the Crossrail running tunnels.[1]
They pass beneath the Spitalfields area and, as you see to the
right-hand side of the drawing, we have the Hanbury Street shaft
site. The continuous red line on either side of the running tunnels,
that is the line that represents the area of the ten millimetre
settlement contour and you will recall when Professor Mair gave
his presentation to you at the start of the Committee's sittings,
he explained the three-stage settlement assessment process and
the significance which the ten millimetre settlement contour has
for that purpose. We have shown in the yellow shading Petitioners'
properties within the Spitalfields area for Petitioners who have
come under the aegis of Petition 22 and where those properties
are listed buildings, that is so say shown on the statutory list
of buildings of historic and architectural interest maintained
by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, we have
shown a mauve or purple outline for the building footprint itself,
so one sees examples of that where I am pointing at the moment
(Indicating). Where the structures are not listed, then it is
simply the yellow hatching that identifies the properties. I should
say that, as the tunnels pass beneath this part of the route,
the tunnels are at about 30 metres below ground level and the
ground through which the tunnels will pass is at the interface
of London Clay and what is known as the "Lambeth Group"
which is a mix of London Clay and sand. That is to say the tunnels
will be at the lower end of the London Clay segment which obviously
begins much, much closer to the actual ground itself. That is
the nature of the ground. As you will recall from Professor Mair,
as the construction of the tunnels will be undertaken by using
closed face earth pressure balance tunnel boring machines, Professor
Mair explained how those machines work, I remind the Committee
of that evidence.
3086. If we turn please to page 96, the second
of three drawings again, this is Petition 18, this is Ms Jones,
the Spitalfields Society, and her property is here, 21 Wilkes
Street.[2]
Wilkes Street is here running north-south between Hanbury Street
and Fournier Street, and Princelet Street, another street which
your Lordships will hear mention of, is this street here which
runs east-west and parallel to Hanbury Street and Fournier Street
(Indicating). The majority of the Petitioners' properties are
located in and around this little area on Wilkes Street, Princelet
Street and, indeed, I think also Fournier Street. Also I draw
your attention to Christ Church Spitalfields which I think may
be referred to, a very famous Grade I listed building and your
Lordships can see—
3087. CHAIRMAN: Is that it (Indicating)?
3088. MR MOULD: Indeed it is, yes. Your
Lordships can see the relationship between Christ Church and the
running tunnels. The simple point is that the Crossrail alignment
happens to pass somewhat to the north of the location of Christ
Church itself and we can deal a little later as necessary with
the assessment of Christ Church under our settlement assessment
process.
3089. Then if we can turn please to 97, just
to complete the location of the Petitioners' properties.[3]
Again that is a petition of Ms Mifsud and others and, again, your
Lordships can see a number of properties shown with the shading
and the listed buildings shown where they occur in relation to
running of tunnels.
3090. If we can have up please 94, just to give
you some factual information about another topic that may be raised.[4]
This shows the location of boreholes which have been drilled in
order to investigate the ground makeup in the area of Spitalfields.
As is the case along the route, again Professor Mair explained
to you the borehole investigation process and what we have shown
is completed boreholes in the red shading and proposed boreholes
in green; this is an ongoing process. I might mention in written
petitions, as your Lordships will have seen, there is a reference
to the possible incidence of underground rivers in the location.
Our understanding is that there is an underground river, the Walbrook
I think it is. It passes some 300 metres to the west of Spitalfields
Market which is this area here, so it is way off-plan to the west
and the other point is that, as I mentioned, the Crossrail running
tunnels are at a depth of about 30 metres and, of course, the
underground river itself is at the other end, the top end of the
London Clay, so the chances of any interrelationship between underground
river and the Crossrail works for settlement purposes we consider
to be remote.
3091. CHAIRMAN: What stratum is it running
in?
3092. MR MOULD: It is running in some
sand and gravel, I think. Just bear with me, I have got that information
here. The riverbed is at the top of the London Clay and it runs
in some gravel-filled channels, that is the information I have.
If the Committee requires further information about that, I will
see if I can provide that through Professor Mair tomorrow.
3093. CHAIRMAN: We will see what happens.
3094. MR MOULD: Exactly so. Finally,
in this very brief introduction, if you can turn please to 100.[5]
We have provided the Committee and Petitioners in tabular form
with a list of all the Petitioners under Petitions 20 to 22, their
properties, whether they are listed buildings or not, whether
an individual settlement assessment report is being produced,
what the settlement assessment shows as regards the likely risk
of any damage being caused by virtue of ground movement through
the construction of Crossrail and where we have produced individual
reports, that is to say where copies have got to the third phase
in the settlement assessment process. We have given you the reference
in your packs to the reporting questions. For example, in respect
of 3-5 Princelet Street if you turn back to the beginning of divider
A in your packs you will find the settlement assessment report
in relation to the property. It comprises an engineering assessment
and an historic building assessment carried out by our respective
technical consultants.
3095. The previous page, page 99, is the first
page of that table.[6]
We hope that table is comprehensive and covers all of the individual
property-holders who have petitioned on settlement concerns to
your Lordships' committee.
3096. My Lord, that is all I propose to say
by way of brief opening on this topic, unless there is anything
else I can assist the Committee with at this stage?
3097. CHAIRMAN: Not at the moment thank
you very much, Mr Mould. Who is presenting Petition number 20?
The following Petition against the Bill was read:
The Petition of Selina Mifsud and others.
MR RUPERT
WHEELER appeared as Agent.
3098. MR WHEELER: I am presenting the
Petition this morning. My name is Rupert Wheeler. I am an architect
of some 20 years' practice, much of that working with old buildings.
I am a resident of Wilkes Street. My Lord, I have a text if I
can refer to that. I issued yesterday as required the copies of
the illustrations I wish to refer to.
The Petition of Selina Mifsud and others
3099. CHAIRMAN: Is that the one with
Spitalfields Church on the front?
1 Crossrail Ref: P23, Petition 22-Nicholas Morse and
others-Various properties in Spitalfields (TOWHLB-XR5A-095) Back
2
Crossrail Ref: P23, Petition 18-Patricia Jones-21 Wilkes Street
(TOWHLB-XR5A-096) Back
3
Crossrail Ref: P23, Petition 20-Selina Mifsud and others-Various
properties in Spitalfields (TOWHLB-XR5A-097) Back
4
Crossrail Ref: P23, 10mm settlement contours and boreholes-Spitalfields
area (TOWHLB-XR5A-094) Back
5
Crossrail Ref: P23, Petitions 20 and 22-Assessment Table (TOWHLB-XR5A-100) Back
6
Crossrail Ref: P23, Petitions 20 and 22-Assessment Table (TOWHLB-XR5A-099) Back
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