§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for Transpor how many (a) commercial and (b) residential properties have been acquired in connection with the east London river crossing; how many of these remain empty; and how many have been let and through which agencies.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe Department has acquired at the owners' request two commercial and 11 residential properties.
The two commercial properties are at present empty, but negotiations are in progress with a prospective tenant for one of them. The other, which has been badly damaged by fire, has been boarded up.
Nine of the residential properties have been let to the London borough of Greenwich. The other two have only
196WMeanwhile, I am satisfied that the Department's motorway and trunk road bridges have adequate margins of safety, albeit reduced ones in respect of the extreme but possible traffic loading conditions.