Examination of Witnesses (Questions 4300
- 4319)
4300. CHAIRMAN: dB(A).
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Yes.
4301. BARONESS FOOKES: I am looking at
the operation of the trains. You will, of course, be familiar
with Portcullis House.
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Very familiar.
4302. Which I think has the Jubilee Line and
possibly other lines running under it or very close to it? I am
not sure about that.
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Yes, my Lady, the
District and Circle Lines effectively run through the basement
of Portcullis House. When the Jubilee Line Extension was constructed,
that enormous cavern of a station for the deep station was excavated
by an amazing engineering achievement. The District and Circle
Lines were kept running over the top of that cavern. If the passenger
standing on the platform had seen what they were standing above,
they would have been very alarmed because it was a very deep excavation.
What has been constructed effectively is a new bridge as part
of the lower levels of Portcullis House which carries the District
and Circle Lines on floating track slab. The consultants who designed
Portcullis House, Arups, placed very stringent vibration limits
on the received vibration within the building and, on the engineering
side, we were charged with designing a track form which both could
be installed while the trains continued to run, which was not
easy, but also achieve these extremely stringent vibration limits
which Arups placed. It has been very successful, even though,
as I mentioned in the teach-in, I think we called it, the rails
have deteriorated in their surface roughness to some extent which
is why you hear that rumble when you are standing on the Westminster
Station platform but even with that, as far as I know, there is
no part of Portcullis House where you can hear the District and
Circle Lines.
4303. I have certainly heard nothing myself
and I do not think MPs who use it on a regular basis have ever
complained or spoken about noise levels to the best of my knowledge
and belief.
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) I am very glad to
hear that, my Lady, and I believe it to be the case that it has
been, and remains, extremely successful. It is a very good example
of the performance of floating track slab of the kind that will
be installed under Grand Central Studios that we mentioned earlier,
under the Barbican Hall and a series of other very sensitive installations
for the studios in Soho and locations of that kind.
4304. BARONESS FOOKES: Thank you.
4305. MR TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr Thornely-Taylor.
I was going to move on to noise from the construction worksite
at Hanbury Street and we have got in front us on the screen a
map showing the location for the residents represented in Petitions
18, 20 and 22 and we have also got on site indicated the location
of Hanbury Street worksite.[48]
Can I ask you this, Mr Thornely-Taylor, what impact will there
be arising on the residents in the property shown on this plan
from construction activity on the worksite at Hanbury Street?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) All these Petitioners
are far too far from the worksite which is here (Indicating) to
have any effect at all from the construction activity on the worksite.
4306. In terms of the impacts that have been
identified from the worksite, can you just explain what those
are in noise terms, please?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) We are left with
significant effects for this facade here and I understand that
the Promoter has offered to purchase those properties and, if
all goes according to plan, they will not be occupied during the
construction works at this site.
4307. Thank you. Can you just explain, please,
the consequences in noise terms of the retention of Britannia
House and, indeed, the properties you have just referred to?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Yes, this is one
of several differences between the scheme that was in the original
Environmental Statement when this was going to be a site for the
launch of the tunnel-boring machine with a very much larger worksite
and much greater activity and that would have involved the demolition
of Britannia House which is this building (Indicating). That will
now be retained because of the reduced requirement of the site.
It is a very substantial building, as those who visited the site
will have noticed. It is a high building, as indeed is this building
which has residential occupancy and I have just mentioned has
been the subject of an offer to purchase, but the fact that those
buildings will remain in place means they will perform as very
effective noise barriers for the residential facades on the south
side of Princelet Street.
4308. Thank you very much. I was going to move
on then next to noise from construction traffic.[49]
We have heard for the nine-month peak period it is proposed there
would be 16 HGV movements a day. How significant is that in noise
terms, please?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) The way that is assessed
is to include the additional lorries that are predicted to be
serving the construction site in the baseline numbers of vehicles
that are using the roads concerned and then you can do a comparative
calculation of the noise index with the construction lorries and
compare it with the noise index without them. When that is done
the result is an insignificant change in the value of a noise
index, about 1.5 dB.
4309. MR TAYLOR: Thank you very much
indeed.
4310. BARONESS FOOKES: Could we be clear
about numbers because I seem to recall this morning it was suggested
that, although it might be 16 going in, would it not also mean
16 going out?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) It is 16 entering
and leaving the worksite each day.
4311. BARONESS FOOKES: But it makes double,
32 movements, which is what the residents are naturally interested
in.
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) But, my Lady, they
are on a continual route, they do not turn the same way when they
leave as the way they enter. They enter from one direction and
leave from another.
4312. LORD SNAPE: In your experience,
Mr Thornely-Taylor, have you known such restrictions as the ones
being proposed here being applied on previous schemes?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Do you mean restrictions
on construction?
4313. No, on Heavy Goods Vehicle movements,
the way it is proposed here.
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Yes, it is quite
common, yes, my Lord.
4314. Again, in your experience, once restrictions
are laid down, are they observed by contractors, subcontractors,
et cetera?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) They are most certainly
observed. The feature of modern construction work is very high
quality environmental control and management of all issues that
affect both noise and other environmental issues. The sophistication
of the control which contractors apply in enforcing and ensuring
enforcement of all the obligations that are placed on them is
most impressive if you visit a modern large civil engineering
site.
4315. LORD SNAPE: That was a point raised
by, I think it was, Ms Cove on behalf of the Petitioners, that
for these lorry drivers, subcontractors, there would not be the
sort of insistence on abiding by the regulations as you implied
would exist. Can you give us some assurance on that?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Yes, I frequently
visit sites of this kind and the contractors involved in very
large civil engineering projects are drawn from a relatively small
list of major international organisations which are extremely
experienced and effective, not only in managing their own work
and its effect on the environment but controlling subcontractors'
vehicles visiting the site. I am sure, my Lords, if you made the
same kind of visit, you would be as impressed, as I am, with the
high standard of modern control that you find on these sites.
4316. LORD YOUNG OF NORWOOD GREEN: Can
I just pursue the lorry movements. Looking at the diagram, effectively
they will only get 16 movements past them in a day.
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) That is right, my
Lord.
4317. LORD YOUNG OF NORWOOD GREEN: Because
of this—
4318. CHAIRMAN: The gyratory system.
4319. LORD YOUNG OF NORWOOD GREEN: Yes,
that is right, the gyratory system.
48 Crossrail Ref: P23, Location of residents represented
by Petitions 18, 20 & 22 in relation to Hanbury Street worksite
and noise impacts (TOWHLB-XR5D-001) Back
49
Crossrail Ref: P23, Hanbury Street-Proposed Lorry Routes (TOWHLB-XR5E-001) Back
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