§ 62. Mr. R. W. Elliottasked the Minister of Transport what is the present position with regard to the new roundabout and underpass scheme at Pilgrim Street in Newcastle-upon-Tyne: and what was the reason for the delay in approval of grant for the main construction work on the scheme, the result of which is that such work is now unlikely to start until next spring.
§ Mr. GalbraithThe formal notification of the issue of grant for this scheme was sent to the Newcastle City Council on 29th August. There was no undue delay on our part. This scheme, which is part of a much larger scheme for an Inner Ring Road, is to cost over £1 million. The examination of the detailed grant application, which was made on 28th June, inevitably took a little time. There was a considerable increase over the earlier estimated cost and we had to satisfy ourselves that at the increased cost the scheme still represented good value for money.