River Thames: Proposed East London Crossing (Hansard, 26 April 1989)

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
No, my Lords. Further progress with the scheme is dependent on the outcome of the review of the River Thames bridge design being undertaken by consultants. The consultants are finalising their report and expect to submit it soon. An announcement will be made when the report has been considered. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport has already undertaken in another place to place a copy of the report in the Library of the House.

Lord Wallace of Coslany
My Lords, is the Minister aware that the present proposals would lead to the devastation of Oxleas Wood, which is at least 600 years old and some experts say dates back to the Stone Age? Will the Minister consider the fact that in addition the proposals would mean the demolition of 260 houses in Plumstead alone and that that is enough to cause a great deal of concern? Will the Minister say whether Parliament will have any say in the matter when the scheme is completed?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, the noble Lord has referred to Oxleas Wood. That is not part of the new inquiry which is being undertaken into the bridge itself, and which is the subject of the noble Lord's Question. There is no proposal to go back on any other part of the route concerned with the East London river crossing.

§ Lord Boyd-Carpenter
My Lords, is not the problem with the bridge that the original design would undoubtedly have produced a hazard for aircraft using City Airport?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, that is perfectly true. That is why we took the decision to have another look at the design of the bridge and we are awaiting the results at the moment.

§ Lord Underhill
My Lords, is it not the case that the inspector's report dealt mainly with the fact that the expected use of the bridge would require a two-way, three-lane, bridge rather than two-lane according to the design which the Government put forward? We were told in a press notice issued in June last year that the review of a new design would take only six months. Why is it taking all this time? Is the review also considering the other point in the inspector's report concerning a segregated cycle path?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, I am afraid that I cannot answer the latter point which the noble Lord has raised, about a segregated cycle path. I am not aware that we said that the review would take six months. So far as I know we have always said that the results of the inquiry would be available round about now, and we can expect the results fairly shortly.

§ Lord Underhill
My Lords, all I can say to the Minister is will he please take a look— —

Noble Lords
Question!

§ Lord Underhill
My Lords, I have just asked the Minister a question—will he please take a look? I was very polite and courteous to the Minister. Will he kindly take a look at Press Notice 407 dated 28th July 1988? I think that he will find that what I have said is correct.

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, I shall certainly take a look. If it has taken longer than we thought it would then I can only apologise to the noble Lord.

Lord Wallace of Coslany
My Lords, will the Minister give me a definite answer that Parliament will be able to decide the matter in due course? Will he also confirm that Oxleas Wood is not definitely to be devastated, as it would be under the plans?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
No, my Lords. I cannot give an undertaking that Parliament will consider the matter, although of course the noble Lord has the opportunity to raise these points at Question Time. The Secretaries of State jointly carefully considered the issues before deciding last July that 1272 the scheme should go ahead. They concluded that the additional cost of a tunnel through Oxleas Wood and the loss of benefits from deletion of the south facing sliproads at Shooters Hill junctions were not justified by the environmental benefits of a tunnel. They have no ground to reconsider that decision. I am afraid that so far as concerns Oxleas Wood the question is settled.