HL Deb 26 May 1994 vol 555 cc852-3

11.17 a.m.

Lord Thomson of Monifieth asked Her Majesty's Government:

What environmental protection they propose for the Boxley Valley in Kent in view of the proposed high-speed Channel Tunnel rail link.

Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish

My Lords, measures which will minimise the environmental impact on the new rail link in Boxley Valley are currently being studied. They include a length of cut-and-cover tunnel to the south of Boxley village and various landscaping measures.

Lord Thomson of Monifieth

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. Will the Government bear in mind that the Boxley Valley is an area of outstanding natural beauty which serves the great conurbation of the Medway estuary, and gives great pleasure and recreation to people? For the benefit of future generations, would it not be worth the price to put the high-speed link in the Boxley Valley under the North Downs rather than implementing the half-way measures that the Government propose? Might there not be some funding from Brussels to help pay for the transport networks and the environmental protection involved?

Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish

My Lords, I am not sure whether there would be funding from Brussels for specific measures, although there may well be funding from Brussels for the whole project.

As regards the specific problem in the valley, we indeed appreciate the scenic beauty of the area, which is why the whole project has twice been reviewed by the Government and Union Railways. On both occasions the conclusion reached was that the extra expenditure —it is £65 million if we have to drive only one tunnel and £115 million if we have to drive two—did not seem to be worth while, set against the way in which the small portion of the cut-and-cover and other environmental improvements which can be made on the line above ground can help to ameliorate the environmental impact.

Lord Renton

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that, although tunnelling is much more expensive, it protects the landscape for the rest of time? Do we not owe it to future generations so to protect whenever feasible?

Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish

My Lords, I appreciate that tunnelling puts the railway, so to speak, out of sight and perhaps at least out of the mind's eye. However, we have to consider the cost. If too much of a railway line is tunnelled, the whole economics of the project become impossible. I believe that there has to be a balance between the economic and the environmental sides.

Lord Astor of Hever

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that environmentalists regard Cobham Park, where the line will be raised by five metres through Repton's unique 18th century landscape, as an even greater area of concern than Boxley Valley?

Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish

My Lords, I do not wish to become involved in a discussion about what part of the project gives rise to the greatest anxiety. I know of my noble friend's interest in Repton's work at Cobham and can assure him that Union Railways are aware of the special sites there. The firm has met representatives of the Cobham Park Trust and the National Trust to try to ensure that the new railway line, which will go as close to the roadway as possible, will cause the minimum impact on Repton's work.