Examination of Witnesses (Questions 5580
- 5599)
5580. MR MOULD: Quite so. We will attend
to that and come back to you.
5581. CHAIRMAN: Very well, but I do not
think it makes any difference to the principle of the ruling.
5582. MR MOULD: It does not make any
difference to that because, as your Lordship, as I say and I repeat
this point, has correctly pointed out, Option B was ruled out
of contention in the light of the report undertaken in 2001 to
which your Lordship has referred and that is the factual basis
upon which matters took their course thereafter.
5583. CHAIRMAN: Very well. Thank you
very much, Mr Mould.
The Petition of Ms Patricia Jones
5584. MS JORDAN: Could I just say on
a point of correction as well that the points raised in fact were
by the Spitalfields Small Business Association, of which I am
their representative. In your reference to the SES3, it was, you
said, Woodseer and Hanbury Street that had raised them, but in
fact it was the Spitalfields Small Business Association which
had raised them, so in terms of fact, it would be good, if you
are correcting it, to make that right as well.
5585. CHAIRMAN: What are these points?
5586. MS JORDAN: The statement that you
just made said that the Woodseer and Hanbury Street Residents'
Association, on the SES3, had raised the issue of alignment B,
but it was in fact the Spitalfields Small Business Association
and not the Woodseer and Hanbury Street Residents' Association
that raised that, so, just as a point of fact, it may be worth
correcting that as well.
5587. CHAIRMAN: All right, we will correct
that too.
5588. MS JORDAN: As the Petitioner that
did raise these issues, I do wish to say that we disagree with
it. We disagree with your statement and we do not believe that
any other alignment other than alignment B is the one—
5589. CHAIRMAN: It is no use your trying
to contest the ruling of the Committee, I am afraid. Now, is there
anything else before we hear Ms Jones? No. In that case, over
to you, Ms Jones.
The following Petitions against the Bill was read:
The Petition of Ms Patricia Jones.
MS PATRICIA
JONES appeared in person.
5590. CHAIRMAN: These are your reference
papers?
The Petition of Ms Patricia Jones
5591. MS JONES: They are indeed.
5592. MR MOULD: My Lord, in accordance
with the usual practice, just before Ms Jones presents her Petition,
would it be convenient if I pointed out, by reference to the screen,
that Ms Jones is, I think, the owner of number 21 Wilkes Street.[1]
We have shown the footprint of that building on the plan and you
can see its relationship to the running tunnels, the northerly
running tunnels, and you will also recall from last week's proceedings
that we marked on these plans the 10mm settlement contour. That
is the two red lines showing the alignment of the route and the
10mm settlement contours on either side, and that is made clear
from the key which you will find in the top left-hand corner.
This is in your packs from last week and this is plan XR5A-096.
Ms Jones, I think, from reading her Petition and her documents,
is going to present arguments in relation to settlement and noise
issues. Unless there is anything else, I will hand over straightaway
to her.
5593. CHAIRMAN: I think we are going
back over territory that we have already visited before, but it
does not mean to say that we cannot visit it again.
5594. MS JONES: First of all, my Lordships
and my Ladyship, thank you very much for allowing me to do my
presentation this week rather than last week; that is very helpful.
My name is Pat Jones. By profession I am a lawyer and I am a partner
in one of the City law firms. I specialise in development projects
and property law, and I have been qualified for about 23 years.
I am a resident in Spitalfields at that property. Although this
is my personal petition the points I am making are for all the
Petitioners, and indeed the members of the various associations
and societies, because we have tried to present petitions each
taking separate aspects for the convenience of the Committee and
the Promoter.
5595. CHAIRMAN: We have already thanked
you all very much for collaborating in this way.
5596. MS JONES: Thank you for the fact
that Mr Thornely-Taylor is here today to answer questions. I was
going to take settlement first and then noise but, if it is easier
for Mr Thornely-Taylor, I am quite happy to do the noise part
first, because then it means he does not have to sit through the
intricacies of the Settlement Deed.
5597. CHAIRMAN: I think that is very
thoughtful of you, and I expect he would appreciate it too.
5598. MS JONES: I will make my comments
on noise. I have not had the benefit of knowing what Havering
are doing, whom I think you said are dealing with noise generically.
Apologies if I am repeating a lot of things you have already heard.
5599. The basic issues I think for individual
homeowners are: first, am I going to hear the noise; and, second,
is my property going to be damaged? Those are the two crucial
things that everyone is very concerned about. I am quite sure
if the Promoters came to us and said, "You won't hear the
trains. We'll do whatever we can so you don't hear the trains,
and if there's any damage we'll make it good", everyone would
say, "Well, that's the least we would expect. That is fine.
We don't really expect much more, but we certainly don't expect
any less".
1 Crossrail Ref: P23, Petition 18-Patricia Jones-21
Wilkes Street (TOWHLB-XR5A-096) Back
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