§ Mr. DowdTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to bring forward proposals arising from the south circular assessment study before 16 July.
§ Mr. NorrisNo. More time is needed to consider these proposals. I want to be sure that any which are taken forward are fully justified on environmental, safety and traffic capacity grounds.
§ Mr. DowdTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further plans he has for land acquisitions in connection with the A205 south circular Catford relief road; and what discussions he has had with(a) the London residuary body and (b) the London borough of Lewisham on the land acquisition programme.
§ Mr. NorrisThe Department has for some time been negotiating the acquisition of a small plot of land, outside 449W the compulsory purchase order originally promoted by the Greater London Council for this improvement scheme. This was school land, formerly owned by the Inner London education authority and transferred to the London residuary body—now the responsibility of the royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Solicitors for the parties are in the process of drawing up the necessary transfer documents. The Department has no further plans for land acquisition in connection with this trunk road scheme. The Department has had no discussions with the London borough of Lewisham on the land acquisition programme for this scheme.
§ Mr. DowdTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer on 24 June,Official Report, column 245, on what date he expects to consult local authorities and others about the further recommendations of his Department's consultants, Travers Morgan, arising from the south circular assessment study.
§ Mr. NorrisI do not envisage further consultation on recommendations made by the consultants who carrried out the south circular assessment study. We informed Lewisham borough council in March that a limited scheme to improve conditions at the A205/Burnt Ash Hill junction had been added to the Department's national roads programme. We shall be consulting them further when more detailed proposals are available. The case for other limited road improvement schemes on the A205 is still being considered. Consultation on individual schemes will follow as and when appropriate in accordance with the Department's normal procedures. I cannot forecast at this stage when that might be.