HC Deb 19 October 1988 vol 138 cc969-70W
Mr. Spearing

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the terms of reference given to the consultants contracted to report on the alternative design of the proposed east London river crossing, showing separately those related to(a) navigational requirements, (b) maximum height of structure and (c) any limit on additional cost over that estimated for the existing design; and if he will request a report on the design and cost implications of incorporating facilities for a single or double line for (i) a conventional railway and (ii) an extension of the docklands light railway.

Mr. Channon

The terms of reference of the review are as follows:

(a)—to ascertain whether there is, within the broad order of costs of the Department's proposed bridge, an alternative design which would be practicable, acceptable, satisfy the objectives of the east London river crossing scheme and keep options open for the future use of London City airport;

(b)—to consult interested parties including:

  1. (i) the Port of London Authority
  2. (ii) the Civil Aviation Authority
  3. (iii) the Royal Fine Arts Commission

Consideration of additional rail links across the Thames is a matter for the public transport operators concerned.

Mr. Spearing

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the estimated costs of the newly approved east London river crossing and associated roads, broken down under the headings(a) roadworks north of the Thames, (b) the river crossing by one or more possible means or designs of bridge, (c) roadworks south of the Thames, (d) environmental conservation elements in (a) to (c) above, globally or individually and (e) the Oxleas wood tunnel and other conservation works recommended by his inspector; what is the approximate percentage cost of (e) compared to the estimated total; and what are his reasons for not authorising expenditure under this heading.

Mr. Channon

The estimated costs of the east London river crossing, as presented at the public inquiry, excluding land acquisition and supervision costs, at average 1984 prices are as follows:

  1. (a) Works north of the Thames: £21 million.
  2. (b) The Thames bridge proposed by the Department: £56 million.
  3. (c) Works south of the Thames: £66 million.
  4. (d) It is not possible to identify separately all the environmental conservation elements of a scheme as they are not all additional items but integral parts of the scheme design. Identifiable environmental conservation measures in (a) to (c) above, including new footpaths, footbridges and landscaping, amount to some £19 million. About £1 million will be spent north of the river and the remainder south of the Thames.
  5. (e)—The inspector estimated that his recommendation of a tunnel under part of Oxleas wood and associated works would cost about an additional £10 million. Additional environmental measures and cycleways recommended by the inspector will cost some £750,000. These recommendations approximate to 8 per cent, of the total estimated works costs. The inspector's tunnel recommendation would also have required the deletion of the south facing slip roads at the Shooters hill interchange. Having carefully weighed the advantages of the inspector's proposals against the disadvantages, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and I were not satisfied that the additional cost of the tunnel and the loss of benefits from deletion of the slip roads were justified.