Examination of Witnesses (Questions 11180
- 11199)
11180. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: This
is the trouble with taking us out on territory; we know too much!
11181. MS LIEVEN: It is the advantage
of your Lordships being very well briefed and assiduous in your
knowledge. This is a more detailed plan and you can see the kinks
still there so there is not perfect visibility, although visibility
is not too bad.
11182. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: It is
slightly a lose-lose from your side, though, because if the kink
is still there, you then have the question as to why you have
not removed the principal objection the residents had. That is
why I asked the question.
11183. MS LIEVEN: To foreshadow for those
members of the Committee who were not on the site visit, we are
doing work to the south side of this bridge following the House
of Commons' recommendation but we are clearly of the view that
this is a Network Rail bridge to with Crossrail does not interfere
with the main part of the span. We have to do a bit of extension
work on the north side and we are clear that it is not our responsibility
to reconstruct this bridge in its entirety, which would be a very
major operation because it goes all the way across the line so
would involve extensive possessions and, to put it frankly, is
not down to Crossrail. Having said that, we are providing PRM
accessibility on the south side and we have agreed to work with
the Council to assist with issues like visibility across the bridge
by putting in, if necessary, mirrors and slightly improved equality.
11184. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: Thank
you. It is helpful but it does still underline where questions
still may occur.
11185. MS LIEVEN: Yes.
11186. LORD YOUNG OF NORWOOD GREEN: If
I may, my Lord Chairman, who are the principal users? It is going
to be the Westminster academy?
11187. MS LIEVEN: If we go back to 027,
my understanding is that it is a bridge that has always been reasonably
well used because it is not a desperately easy place—the
bridge is here—to get across these tracks because this takes
one under the Westway and further east you have to go quite a
long way down.[7]
I think the next one is called Lord Hill's Bridge. It is quite
a long way down, so for these people who want to go north and
south it had a use in any event but now the principal users are
likely to be the school children going to Westminster Academy
here, a number of whom are likely to live on the south side of
the tracks.
11188. LORD YOUNG OF NORWOOD GREEN: Thank
you.
11189. MS LIEVEN: Returning to who is
coming this week we have dealt with Westbourne Park Villas Residents
Association. The next petitioner is Mr Payne, who is also highly
likely to come and who some of the Committee met on the site visit.
We have the Petition of Hammerson's who are the owners of the
triangle site which I mentioned earlier and who we are, I think
it would be fair to say, deep in negotiations with and have been
for about four years. Whether or not they will come is yet unknown.
Moor House are unlikely to come. Land Securities equally we are
in deep in negotiation with. Could we go back to the Paddington
map.
11190. CHAIRMAN: That is the range of
buildings beside Eastbourne Terrace?
11191. MS LIEVEN: That is right. If we
go back, Land Securities own the freehold of the buildings on
the west side—I am not sure they own all of them—on
Eastbourne Terrace and there is a fairly vexed issue about access
to their buildings, both during construction but primarily under
the final scheme depending on where the pavement level ends up.
They may or may not come. I believe SMTA have put in for a short
appearance tomorrow just to update the Committee as to where negotiations
have got to.
11192. CHAIRMAN: Lord James, it might
be that is the time for you to make your statement.
11193. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: Fine,
whenever you choose, my Lord.
11194. CHAIRMAN: They will be here and
can hear it.
11195. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: That
is fine by me.
11196. MS LIEVEN: Then Thursday looks
like a terrible day, but there is a lot of utility companies which
we very hope will not come in the nicest possible way. We normally
manage to agree with the utility companies. The main business
for Thursday is likely to be the Crossrail Coalition of Residents
and Petitioners and the Residents Association of Mayfair, both
of whom, I think one can assume, will attend, and Mr Walters who
is very closely associated with the Residents Association of Mayfair
but so far as the other commercial petitioners on Thursday are
concerned, we are working on the assumption that they are unlikely
to come. My Lords, unless the Committee has any questions for
me now it would be very helpful to us if we could have 45 minutes
to sign off the agreement with Westminster.
11197. CHAIRMAN: Mr Clarkson, is that
agreeable to you?
11198. MR CLARKSON: It is, my Lord. If
we could have the time it would be productive.
11199. CHAIRMAN: You could come back
at half past 11 and that would preclude our having a coffee break.
7 Crossrail Ref: P76, Westbourne Park-Crossrail proposals
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