Examination of Witnesses (Questions 10600
- 10619)
10600. When did you start trading on your own?
(Mr Abrahams) 1991.
10601. You say in your paragraph 6 that there
are certain aspects of Crossrail that concern you. What are those?
(Mr Abrahams) Because of the experience that I have had in
relation to road closure, road closure, I feel, could have a dramatic
effect on the operation of Smithfield in general.
10602. What was your experience?
(Mr Abrahams) It was during the closure of what is known
as West Poultry Avenue, where the road was closed due to proposed
works on a tunnel beneath that road. One of my companies was severely
disrupted and business was grossly affected, so much so, that
we had to purchase another site and move to another site. Fortunately,
we had the resources to do that, otherwise it could have been,
really, the end of that particular company.
10603. You are not at the Lindsey Street end
of the market, are you?
(Mr Abrahams) No, sir.
10604. However, you say in paragraph 8 that
you have concerns for the Lindsey Street end of the market. What
are those?
(Mr Abrahams) Because a market is a market and you need a
collection of companies to make a market. It is no good just me
being there on my own; that would not constitute a market. So
I am concerned that my colleagues on Smithfield would, or could,
experience the same conditions that I experienced during the closure
of West Poultry Avenue.
10605. You were able to move. If anyone wanted
to move from the Lindsey Street end of the market is there space
into which they can now move?
(Mr Abrahams) At this moment in time there is not, no.
10606. What do you think will be the effect
of the removal, if there is a removal, of loading and unloading
bays in Lindsey Street?
(Mr Abrahams) Again, I think if we could take it back to
its simplest form: we all shop on a weekly and sometimes daily
basis, and we try to get as near as possible to where we are going
to shop. If we take away loading bays it will just restrict where
customers can load and unload on Smithfield, and maybe they will
think twice about coming.
10607. In terms of the hygiene legislation,
is your trade carcass or boxed?
(Mr Abrahams) It is predominantly boxed, wrapped and packaged.
10608. Does that mean it is exposed to the air
at all?
(Mr Abrahams) Not directly, but, again, as I say, it is wrapped
and packaged, so it is not directly exposed to the air.
10609. I think we will hear from some others
involved in the carcass trade. Perhaps you can just give some
indication of the hygiene levels that are imposed upon the market.
(Mr Abrahams) We have had to fall into the new EU legislation
some years ago, hence the millions of pounds that was spent on
refurbishing the Smithfield Market site. The tenants did have
to embark on major refurbishment of the internal parts of their
stalls, of which refrigeration is a major, major part. Also, I
know we have mentioned contamination to the food and meat itself,
but we are yet to know how airborne pollution will affect the
filters, etcetera of our refrigeration, which may be something
that we have overlooked.
10610. Can I just finish with this: some indication
of the number of customers that you deal with each week?
(Mr Abrahams) Yes. On a group basis we would have somewhere
in the region, at its busiest times, of 2,000 live accounts per
week.
10611. A "live account" means?
(Mr Abrahams) An active account; so somebody coming in and
buying and purchasing.
10612. MR DINGEMANS: Thank you very much.
Cross-examined by MR
MOULD
10613. MR MOULD: Good morning, Mr Abraham.
(Mr Abrahams) Good
morning.
10614. You said, I think, that your principal
or certainly one of your main concerns was what might result from
access to the market being stopped up during the construction
of the works.
(Mr Abrahams) Could you just amplify—
10615. Road closures.
(Mr Abrahams) Road closure, yes.
10616. I wonder if we could put up, please,
page 038. I just want to be clear where we are on that. I do not
know if you can see that, but can you see clause 3 on that page,
headed: "Vehicular Access to and around the Market"?
(Mr Abrahams) Yes.
10617. You will see that one of the contractual
commitments that we are proposing to offer to you and other tenants
of the market is in constructing the authorised works we will,
at all times, maintain vehicular access through Lindsey Street
and vehicular access around the market. We say that access for
that purpose includes access for 38 and 44-tonne vehicles. So
far as your business is concerned, in the light of that unqualified
commitment, will you be able to maintain access for your business
throughout the construction works?
(Mr Abrahams) Well, as light follows day, if you are giving
us that undertaking, then that undertaking will not affect my
business.
10618. Thank you very much. In regard to loading
bays, I think you said that was a concern that you were expressing
on behalf of other traders at the eastern end of the market rather
than one that you expected specifically to affect your own business,
is that right?
(Mr Abrahams) I do have a company at the western end of the
Lindsey Street end of the market.
10619. We have given a commitment in relation
to loading bays, it is at page 39. You will appreciate this commitment
was given in relation to the original scheme proposals. Do you
remember I described those in opening earlier, which would involve
digging out and providing an escalator box beneath the basement?
(Mr Abrahams) Yes.
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