§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will prevent CrossRail plc from closing to the public one large and one small area of Hyde Park for five and three years respectively during the period of construction of the CrossRail project.
§ Baroness TrumpingtonResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its Chief Executive, Mr. David Welch. I have asked him to reply to Lord Kennet direct.
Letter to Lord Kennet from the Head of Estate Management, The Royal Parks, Mr. R. A. Jones, dated 25 May 1994:
In the absence from the office of David Welsh, the Agency's Chief Executive, I have been asked to reply to 58WA your Parliamentary Question about the closures of parts of Hyde Park to the public during the period of construction of the CrossRail project.
You will recall from a previous enquiry that the Agency has agreed in principle to the siting of a ventilation shaft terminal for the CrossRail project in the shrubbery at the rear of Victoria Gate Lodge, Hyde Park. The whole project is expected to last five years, with activity within Hyde Park for 44 months of this. During this period the necessary worksite area will be enclosed within a hoarding to limit visual intrusion, noise and dust and for public safety.
It seems likely that the hoarded area will be in three phases as follows:
- Phase 1 cll,700 m2
- Phase 2 c12,300 m2
- Phase 3 c2,300 m2
Phases 1 and 2 are expected to be occupied for a total of 23 months and Phase 3 for a further 21 months up until commissioning.
Of the total hoarded area, approx 70 per cent. will be on existing roads, paths or horseride.
The above details represent the latest stage in the continuing design and negotiation process and Royal Parks will be seeking to keep any hoarded area to a minimum compatible with the reasonable operational requirements of CrossRail.