Examination of Witnesses (Questions 5340
- 5359)
5340. MS LIEVEN: Can we move on to another
aspect of highways issues? Ms Singleton is understandably concerned
about the narrowness of Durward Street and the fact that there
are parked cars on it at the moment to the north and some bollards
have been placed by Tower Hamlets on the corners here (indicating)
that make access more difficult for lorries. In terms of removing
the car parking first of all, can we put up the undertaking register
137? It is page 90.[15]
It is difficult to see but I think we have entered into an assurance
with the residents that the Promoter "will require the nominated
undertaker in liaison with the local authority to ensure the parking
restrictions are in place on Durward Street during the times that
Winthrop Street is closed. The Promoter will also require the
nominated undertake to ensure suitable arrangements are put in
place for refuse collection from Trinity Hall during this time".
If there is a need, and I think we all agree that there probably
will be a need, to remove parking from the north side of Durward
Street, is that something which we have already given an assurance
on and which falls within the powers of the Bill?
(Mr Walters) I am not sure that we have given
an assurance, but removing parking on Durward Street is something
that, with the width of the street, would seem to be—
5341. CHAIRMAN: What is the number of
the assurance?
5342. MS LIEVEN: It is 137, my Lord.
It is in your pack, Mr Mould tells me. It is your page 16.
(Mr Walters)
But it does specifically say when Winthrop Street is closed.
5343. In terms of the bollards, I think we have
got quite a good picture of the bollards, if you will give me
a moment.[16]
I think these are the bollards which are causing the problems
at the moment.
5344. MS SINGLETON: Both sides.
5345. MS LIEVEN: There is another one
over here (indicating). You can just catch the corner of it. If,
for reason of the Crossrail project, these bollards have to be
removed or a little bit of the corner has to be taken off or the
pavement slightly re-orientated north to south, are those matters
(1) which are within the powers of the Bill, and (2) which can
be agreed with Tower Hamlets?
(Mr Walters) They are. Removal of street furniture temporarily
or permanently and altering junctions is something that we would
do in agreement with the local authorities. The East London Line
here, as I understand it, will be coming up Brady Street and turning
left into Durward Street there (indicating), whereas we will come
through Sainsburys car park, so it will not be quite such a sharp
turn, but nevertheless we will have to look at the junction in
more detail.[17]
5346. The only other issue I wanted you to deal
with, which I freely acknowledge is probably outside your area
of expertise specifically but I think you are the best witness
I have got today on it, is the one-stop-shop idea. Is this something
which the project will consider closer to the time in terms of
how to manage community liaison in this area?
(Mr Walters) Community liaison is something
that has already started and has been going on for a long time
but, as we get near construction we will obviously increase the
amount of contact that we have with them. The one-stop-shop is
something that we have talked about in Spitalfields and for Whitechapel,
and the Ideas Store on Whitechapel Road here (indicating) is one
location that has been suggested for that. It is very well-known
in the area.
5347. It is probably worth pointing out to the
Committee, because it certainly took me a very long time to realise
this, that the Ideas Shop is Tower Hamlets' name for the library,
I think.
(Mr Walters) That is right.
5348. It is a little bit more than a library
but it is not a shop; it is a community facility in that sense,
is that right?
(Mr Walters) If it is similar to the ones
near us, it has books, computers and so on. It is designed to
access information in a number of ways.
5349. And so is that a possible location for
an information point?
(Mr Walters) It is. We have now and will
continue to have our 24-hour a day, 7-day a week helpline and
our contractors will have to have people specifically with the
responsibility for community liaison.
5350. So will the contractors have a group of
people specifically responsible for community liaison at Whitechapel
who will be available on a 24-hour basis?
(Mr Walters) Yes. We will require them
to do that when we are working 24 hours.
5351. MS LIEVEN: I think, Mr Walters,
that covers all the points that I had picked up from Ms Singleton's
presentation, but she and the Committee may have other questions
for you.
5352. CHAIRMAN: I expect she has. Before
I invite her to ask them, can you tell us how far you have got
with Tower Hamlets on traffic management?
(Mr Walters)
We have agreed the main traffic routes. We have shown you the
routes for three of the sites, I think, Stepney Green, Hanbury
Street and here. We have talked with them about the lorry numbers.
It is a continual process as the designs are refined and then
we will have to finally have discussions with them when the contractors'
proposals come through nearer to construction. We have been talking
with them about overall numbers to date.
5353. Lord James, you see, asked about the possibility
of two traffic lights very close together at the end of Durward
Street and at the junction of Vallance Road and Whitechapel Road.
What distance would that be between the two junctions?
(Mr Walters) I believe it is about 20
metres, 25 metres.
5354. CHAIRMAN: That is very close for
two sets of traffic lights, is it not?
5355. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH : You
would be better off with a lollipop man with a stop/go lollipop.
(Mr Walters)
We could certainly talk to Tower Hamlets because in very specific
areas, as you have seen at Hanbury Street, we have had more detailed
discussions, so where there is a particular issue such as this
we can have more discussions.
5356. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH : My Lord
Chairman has just put his finger on the crux of the problem, the
lack of adequate response time that that close proximity to anything
which is developing as a difficult situation provides. I would
be concerned about the ability to co-ordinate quickly on a 20-metre
distance where there is an impending problem coming. I rest my
case on that.
5357. CHAIRMAN: It is not your case,
Lord James! You have had no discussions about how you are going
to handle these two flows of traffic, one out of Durward Street
into Vallance Road and the other one coming down Vallance Road
and both of them going out into Whitechapel Road?
(Mr Walters)
I am afraid I am not aware of the detail of the discussion, my
Lord.
5358. But have you had any?
(Mr Walters) There have been some because
there have been discussions from early on when we were going to
route all our construction traffic down Durward Street and now,
as you know, the construction traffic goes into and out of the
Sainsbury's site from Cambridge Heath Road, so that did considerably
reduce the volume of traffic down Durward Street that we were
originally proposing. I think it would be fair to say that discussions
are ongoing with this area.
5359. Yes, of course they are ongoing and they
will not come to a conclusion yet. That is why I asked you how
far you had got, but you do not seem to have got very far.
(Mr Walters) I think we still have to
work out the details, my Lord.
15 Crossrail Ref: P40, Register of Undertakings and
Assurances, Kempton Court Residents Committee (TOWHLB-8_04-090) Back
16
Committee Ref: P41, View of the junction Durward Street and Brady
Street (SCN-20080317-003) Back
17
Committee Ref: P41, View of the junction Durward Street and Brady
Street from Whitechapel Sainsbury's car park, Cambridge Heath
Road (SCN-20080317-004) Back
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