Examination of Witnesses (Questions 3160
- 3179)
3160. A further significant consequence of not
inspecting the interiors of the buildings is revealed if you take
a closer look at the range of reports for this area. It would
seem that the Promoter did get access to about three out of the
30 or so properties inspected, although we have no knowledge of
how these were selected and we believe the owners of two of the
ones I am going to mention were not aware that the internal inspections
had taken place. These are numbers 3, 5 and 25 Princelet Street;
they are the ones that we do have some internal evidence for on
the reports. Although these are not the finest houses in the area
by any means, they nevertheless exhibit a good range of the typical
internal features found in most of the properties and these are
duly noted in the reports. It is pages 305 and 426.
3161. This is the report for 3 to 5 Princelet
Street.[23]
Just look at the list of interior features there. If you recall,
the list of interior features in a very much finer house that
we have just looked at 1 to 3 Fournier Street, well there were
not any interior features listed in that assessment, my point
is there were only three features mentioned at all and they were
all external, but here it is a better list of the interior features.
It talks about panelling and boxed cornicing, the details of the
staircases, panelling on some of the stairwells, first floor panelling,
original roof timbers, halls with moulded architraves and keystone,
actually that does not mention anything on the outside, apart
from the attic with the windows on the two elevations. Maybe the
reason it does not mention anything on the outside is that the
frontage of this building was rebuilt in the 19th century which
is why the windows are set back rather more than its neighbours,
but access was gained inside and I note it is quite fulsome by
comparison with the others.
3162. Number 25, the next one, has been a near
building site for many years now.[24]
It is in a very poor condition, although it is lived in. The internal
description here is very brief, original chimney breast survives,
some original panelling survives, there are a few photographs
of the internal staircase later on in their report. It is very
brief but at least there is one. These assessments then have now
been issued to Mott MacDonald and in both instances, and on the
basis of entirely different criteria for these two properties
from the historical building assessments for these two properties,
both have been awarded one point for the presence of special and
vulnerable features. This then upgrades their score under the
Phase 3 assessment scoring to two points. If you look at the next
two slides, one for 3 and 5, you see here (indicating) special
and vulnerable features, it scores one point.[25]
The next slide, the next building, and the same for really a fairly
limited range of original features in a very bad condition, it
still scores one point.[26]
If you compare that with the buildings in Wilkes Street that we
looked at, and indeed the one in Fournier Street, where no internal
inspections have been made, let me go to the next slide, number
246 in the Historic Building Assessments, this is the terrace
of five houses I took you through earlier on in my presentation.
They have probably a finer range of houses than numbers 3 to 5
with nice phrases, but they recorded a "more assertive piano
nobile", taller proportions, much grander door cases, very
much more extensive internal panelling and together form a very
fine and unique terrace. However, no internal inspection, the
properties therefore score zero for special and vulnerable features
simply because Alan Baxter Associates were not able to gain access
to inspect the interior. As a result of this they score only one
under the Phase 3 assessments.
3163. CHAIRMAN: Are these listed buildings
too?
3164. MR WHEELER: Yes, very much so.
3165. CHAIRMAN: What does the description
in the list say?
3166. MR WHEELER: The description in
the list refers to panelling, dog-leg staircases, turned newel
posts and refers to internal features in the attics. Wilkes Street
will be covered, 17 to 25 will obviously be covered by five different
listings but they do refer to internal features.
3167. Again, this terrace is also well-documented
in the Survey of London and I believe it has quite a fine drawing
of it as well. Take down a building such as 4 Princelet Street,
if we could move on, this is right opposite numbers 3 to 5.[27]
It is well-known from countless period TV blockbusters, photo
shoots adverts and so on. It is intensely used as a film location
and has an extraordinary range of historic detail and fabric generally
preserved in an original and fairly delicate state. Let us just
run through these photographs. Can I go back to the front, please?
It does not have the original windows, actually, except on the
ground floor, but due to various generations of alterations to
the frontage, this bit of the elevation is one of the reasons
it appears in so many photo-shoots, which see Kate Moss and Sharon
Stone, and all sorts of people, posing in front of this old plasterwork.
This is very delicate stuff; even if it has fallen off recently.
The owner does very well to keep it as intact as he does. Let
us go inside.
3168. These next few photographs show the interior
of the building.[28]
It is part of the address of No 4 Princelet Street, but is a pretty
self-contained building out the back of 4 Princelet Street. Carry
on if you could, please.
3169. CHAIRMAN: They look like being
cast-iron columns.
3170. MR WHEELER: This is another cast-iron
column down in the basement here. Basements are quite deep, actually—about
three metres these basements. This is a building to the back of
4 Princelet Street that has not been inspected at all. As you
see, it contains elements that any tunnelling engineer would really
want to know about.
3171. Carry on through these. Still in the back
building. I think the other photographs show some of the original
features. This is quite a notable panelled room. It has very large
panels; a lot of the panels are rather narrower. You have to be
quite clever to build panels this wide with such wide planks of
timber and tongue-and-groove, and so on. It has a bit of a later
plaster staircase, but an absolute delight for a whole range of
really original and beautifully cared for features. If we just
spin through the rest of the photographs, there are interesting
decorations as well—solid oak doors—some very fine
features indeed.
3172. I just also point out, actually, if you
recall the external elevation, you saw the shutters were open;
these shutters stay open all the time; the property constantly
advertises its use as a filming location, and there are usually
crowds of people looking through the windows on Sundays and so
on. So it is rather surprising that when Alan Baxter come to talk
about the interior in their report (second bullet point from the
bottom), they talk about "panelled rooms, cornices, timber
staircases and balustrades (assumed)".[29]
Why "assumed"? However, having made that assumption,
Mott MacDonald, obviously, read the "assumed" bit, and
guess what it scores? It scores zero for special and vulnerable
features.[30]
Presumably, again, because no internal inspection was made, and
as this exhibit confirms, it scores zero, and, as a result, it
scores 1 under the Phase 3 assessments.
3173. This, then, is the information passed
on to Mott MacDonald in order that they might assess the likely
impact of damage on these buildings and all subsequent decision-making
follows this flawed and incomplete analysis. This decision-making,
of course, would then include the selection of the route, or at
least the assessment of the route once it has been selected, always
assuming that the Promoter generally did take account of the sensitive
nature of the area, as he claims.
3174. I have been generally referring to the
Historic Building Assessments carried out by Alan Baxter Associates,
but we have also received advice from various structural engineers
engaged in the repair of the listed buildings in the area that
raise more technical concerns, arising from shortcomings in the
engineering analysis carried out by Mott MacDonald. These concerns
are as follows: firstly, there is no information on what analytical
model they have used.
3175. CHAIRMAN: Have we got any of this
written down anywhere?
3176. MR WHEELER: I have it in this presentation,
which I am happy to leave.
3177. CHAIRMAN: You do not tell us where
it is. We do want to follow you. It would be a great help if you
could tell us where we find these things.
3178. MR WHEELER: You would like to see
some of the—I am sorry, I am trying to guess ahead and see
if what I am about to mention would be written down anywhere and
what actually we have gained by talking to the owners of the buildings
and the Petitioners that I represent. If any of this needs to
be justified by the engineers that we have spoken to, then I can
undertake to do that.
3179. CHAIRMAN: For the moment, Mr Wheeler,
what we have got is what I have got: your Petition. I have looked
at paragraphs 47 and 48 of that, which is where this matter is
raised. I have got the collection of documents with a picture
of Christ Church on the front. That is all.
23 Committee Ref: A19, 3-5 Princelet Street, Listed
Building Assessments, Historic Buildings & Features, Mott
MacDonald (TOWHLB-20_05-021) Back
24
Committee Ref: A19, 25 Princelet Street, Listed Building Assessments,
Historic Buildings & Features, Mott MacDonald (TOWHLB-20_05-023) Back
25
Committee Ref: A19, 3-5 Princelet Street, Listed Building Assessments,
Mott MacDonald (TOWHLB-20_05-022) Back
26
Committee Ref: A19, 25 Princelet Street, Listed Building Assessments,
Mott MacDonald (TOWHLB-20_05-024) Back
27
Committee Ref: A19, View of 4 Princelet Street (TOWHLB-20_05-027) Back
28
Committee Ref: A19, Interior views of 4 Princelet Street (TOWHLB-20_05-028
to -034) Back
29
Committee Ref: A19, 2 and 4 Princelet Street, Listed Building
Assessments, Historic Buildings & Features, Mott MacDonald
(TOWHLB-20_05-025) Back
30
Committee Ref: A19, 2 and 4 Princelet Street, Listed Building
Assessments, Mott MacDonald (TOWHLB-20_05-026) Back
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