Examination of Witnesses (Questions 6680
- 6699)
6680. CHAIRMAN: That aspect is going
to be of very considerable significance to other people.
6681. MS LIEVEN: My Lord, that appropriate
noise levels are preserved in the Barbican is clearly in the public
interest, but so far as the agreement between the parties is concerned
it is between the parties and, my Lords, in my submission that
is the end of the matter.
6682. CHAIRMAN: You are not going to
tell us what the decibel level is?
6683. MS LIEVEN: I am not, my Lords.
It is incredibly complicated and I do not, with respect, think
it would really assist anybody to try to explain the details of
it.
6684. BARONESS FOOKES: You mean we would
not understand it?
6685. MS LIEVEN: Well, I do not understand
it, my Lords. I would not for a moment suggest that your Lordships
and your Ladyship would not understand it but I certainly do not.
6686. LORD SNAPE: You take it as read
then that we would not either?
6687. MS LIEVEN: No, my Lord, absolutely
not. I am sure both Mr Taylors understand it, to be fair, and
I am absolutely sure that those on the City side understand it,
including Mr Cameron, but Isle of Dogs do not. What I can say
beyond any doubt is that the City Corporation who own the Barbican
and are extremely concerned about appropriate noise levels in
the concert hall and the theatre are satisfied that we have done
everything that we can and that an appropriate position has been
reached.
6688. CHAIRMAN: That, I think, is a precedent
in itself, is it not?
6689. MS LIEVEN: Er --- I am very nervous
about any precedent on anything in this Committee, my Lords. Both
sides who are concerned about this and who have been discussing
it for years are happy with the current situation.
6690. CHAIRMAN: Yes, and it is a very
sensitive concert hall.
6691. MS LIEVEN: It is completely acknowledged
that it is a very sensitive and very important concert hall and
therefore special measures, if I can put it like that, needs to
be taken and will be taken.
6692. CHAIRMAN: And you have satisfied
the experts of the City of London Corporation that that is what
is going to happen?
6693. MS LIEVEN: Absolutely, my Lords,
yes.
6694. CHAIRMAN: Well, if you do not want
us to try and understand it, you just do that.
6695. MS LIEVEN: I do not think it would
be a good use of anybody's time. Obviously, I could ask Mr Cameron
to come forward and we could explain it but I really do not think
it would be of much assistance. The other area we have agreed
on is the Isle of Dogs and issues around the Billingsgate Market.
6696. CHAIRMAN: Good. I do not think
there is anything more for us to say. I think the prospect of
the Bank Holiday weekend is now rather more rosy than it was yesterday
evening. What have you got for us on Wednesday?
6697. MS LIEVEN: We are meeting next
on Wednesday, my Lords and my Lady. I am afraid I cannot be of
a huge amount of assistance on Wednesday. There is one Petitioner
who we are confident will attend, who is Mr Pritchett, who is
a residential property owner near Tottenham Court Road station
and has concerns about compensation. We have been meeting and
explaining to him but I think it is highly likely that he will
attend. There are then some six commercial Petitioners, all of
whom we are very actively negotiating with, all of whom, it would
be fair to say, I think there is some level of optimism that we
will be able to agree something with. If I were the Committee
on the normal principles I do not think I would bother to do pre-reading
on those because it is too uncertain as to who will attend, but
we will communicate with your Clerk on Tuesday to try and give
some updated position. I have my views as to who is more likely
to come and who is less likely to come, but I think the realistic
position is that we might agree with all of them, apart from Mr
Pritchett.
6698. CHAIRMAN: So you do not want us
to take a lot of paper home to read over the weekend?
6699. MS LIEVEN: I would much rather
that your Lordships and your Ladyship had a happy Bank holiday
weekend free of Crossrail and came back refreshed next week. The
news on Thursday is that it seems probable that almost all, if
not all, the Petitioners will settle. We believe we are at settlement
point with the Council of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
We have agreed with the Maidenhead Civic Society. We believe we
have agreed in the main with Centrewest Buses and the FirstGroup.
There was one point outstanding last night which we are optimistic
on, and we are negotiating strongly with the Prudential, so it
may be, subject to other programming issues which I think your
Clerk is well aware of, that all the Petitioners go on Thursday.
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