§ LORD MANCROFTMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any major road widening schemes are proposed in the Belgravia area; and, if so, what stage in the planning procedure has been reached.]
§ LORD FARINGDON had given Notice of the following Question:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the increase of motor traffic resulting from the proposed new rail terminal for air traffic at Victoria, what will be the effect of that traffic on Belgravia and Pimlico, and whether this matter was examined before Victoria was chosen as the site for the terminal.
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT (LORD KENNET)My Lords, with the leave of the 2 House and of both noble Lords concerned, I will answer this Question together with that down in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Faringdon.
No major road widening schemes for the Belgravia area are included either in the current programme or in the preparation list. No decision has been taken to build a new rail terminal for air traffic either at Victoria or any other place. What has been decided is that there will be a pressing need in the 1970s to relieve traffic congestion on the road approaches to Heathrow Airport by providing a rail link, and that of all the possible ways of connecting Heathrow to London by rail a link using existing Southern Region lines from Victoria appears the most promising.
The immediate increase in road traffic which would result around Victoria from siting an air terminal there is estimated to be 7 per cent. on the volume at that time on the main roads only, rising by a further 4 per cent. by 1981. A study carried out last year showed that it should be possible to deal with an increase rather larger than this with certain road improvements which, though expensive, would be quite limited in scale. But a committee representative of the various authorities concerned is now considering in detail the various possibilities so as to put forward concrete proposals for public discussion. The importance of avoiding extra traffic through the residential parts of Belgravia and Pimlico, and if possible reducing the existing load, is being borne very much in mind.
§ LORD MANCROFTMy Lords, while not wishing to embroil the noble Lord in the details of this complicated far-reaching proposal, may I ask him whether he thinks it may be possible to avoid a repetition of the secrecy, expense, delay, order, disorder and counter-order which attached to the Stansted and Piccadilly Circus schemes, and, if he does think so, why?
§ LORD KENNETMy Lords, I think it is highly possible. If I may concentrate my answer on one point, secrecy, this really does not arise. When there is something to be opened to public discussion it will be fully opened to public discussion. At the moment there is nothing that could be discussed by the public. The Working Party I mentioned is seeing what can be advised which will be thrown open to the normal planning procedures and discussion by the public.
§ LORD KENNETMy Lords, I mean the making public of proposals which will then be visible by all members of the public and can be discussed by those members of the public through whatever medium they choose before any concrete planning permission is sought.
LORD FARINGDONMy Lords, this does not mean, I take it, that we shall be informed in the columns of that admirable newspaper The Times that such and such has been settled?
§ LORD KENNETNo, my Lords, not until it has been settled after public discussion.
§ LORD MERRIVALEMy Lords, in view of the possibility of extra congestion in the Victoria area, could the noble Lord say what consideration is being given by his Ministry to an alternative project for a monorail service between the Air Terminal at Hammersmith and Heathrow; and would he not agree that such a service is worthy of being very carefully considered also because, with a 2½ minute frequency and 60 m.p.h. speed, the journey would be done in 12 minutes?
§ LORD KENNETMy Lords, the question of a monorail was gone into at an 4 earlier stage when all the alternative ways of relieving traffic congestion between Heathrow and London were considered, and it looked less good than a conventional rail link.
§ LORD MERRIVALEWas that from Hammersmith?
§ LORD KENNETMy Lords, I am not sure whether it was from Hammersmith or from elsewhere, but the consideration applies wherever it was from.