Examination of Witnesses (Questions 3683
- 3699)
Ordered: that Counsel and Parties be called in.
3683. CHAIRMAN: I think we shall start.
Ms Cove, it is definitely your turn to complete what you have
to say to us.
The Petition of Spitalfields Community
Association
3684. MS COVE: I had thought I had finished
yesterday, but in fact just before the division bell went, I think
it was Lord James who was asking me a question about whether the
Community Association wanted to do something different from what
the schools had agreed with regards to lorry movements. Now, you
may regret this, but I actually had the chance last night of looking
at some of those documents I was complaining that had only arrived
on Monday and found amongst them the minutes of the Schools Sub-Group
for the four meetings that they have actually had. They had one
in November 2006, one in January 2007, April 2007 and October
2007, but the next meeting is not until May. Now, I looked at
these minutes and in fact can actually find no evidence that anything
has been agreed with the schools with regard to the times of the
lorries stopping in the mornings or the afternoons. What I can
find is that in fact the teachers' representatives on the Sub-Group
have been told that there will be stoppages, but nothing, as far
as I can see from my copies of the minutes, in particular with
regards to what the specific hours are.
3685. CHAIRMAN: I thought, Mr Elvin,
that this was an arrangement made with Tower Hamlets as the local
education authority.
3686. MR ELVIN: The Schools Group here
is jointly the school representatives, Tower Hamlets as the education
authority and ourselves.
3687. CHAIRMAN: But the timing of the
lorries, I thought—
3688. MR ELVIN: I am not sure that that
has been finally agreed, but it is part of the process because
of course the lorries are not going to be getting there until
2011 or 2012.
3689. CHAIRMAN: I think most of the children
will be past university by then!
3690. MR ELVIN: Absolutely. We are in
a process at the minute of giving information and the mechanism
is there and is working perfectly well and Tower Hamlets, as you
know, has expressed its contentedness with the arrangements. Those
matters will be agreed in due course, but it is a little premature
to agree lorry routing times five years ahead.
3691. CHAIRMAN: I think that is the answer.
3692. MS COVE: I was not talking about
lorry routings. I was talking actually about the hours of stoppages.
3693. CHAIRMAN: I thought this was lorry
hours.
3694. MS COVE: Lorry hours.
3695. CHAIRMAN: That will be part of
the same process, I think.
3696. MS COVE: But I would like to say
that this committee has in fact expressed very serious concerns
about what will happen about construction and when it will start,
the traffic movements, the noise and the working hours and all
other perceived effects of various proposed worksites close to
the premises. That took one meeting. At a second meeting, a headteacher
says, "There is a general feeling that many of the changes
in AP3 and the resulting Environmental Statement with regards
to health effects on playgrounds from dust and noise on asthma
levels have not been communicated to the community in general
or the schools specifically".
3697. LORD SNAPE: Forgive me, Ms Cove,
and I am sorry to intervene so early in Ms Cove's evidence, but
this really is second-hand conversation reporting. It is not evidence
before this Committee and, with respect, I do not think a conversation
which may or may not have taken place is relevant to put before
us at this moment.
3698. CHAIRMAN: I think Ms Cove is trying
to inform us of how far it has got.
3699. MS COVE: I am quoting from recorded
minutes of this Sub-Group. I am not reporting just a conversation.
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