§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what is the total amount of compensation paid following the cancellation of the Polegate bypass project; [98068]
(2) when work on the Polegate bypass will begin. [98064]
§ Mr. HillI have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Peter Nutt to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Nutt to Mr. Nigel Waterson, dated 11 November 1999:
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Keith Hill, has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Polegate Bypass.Tenders for this scheme were invited on 10th November. This should allow us to award the contract next spring, ahead of the previously announced programme.The overall levels of compensation are close to being finalised with those who submitted tenders for the cancelled Weald and Downland DBFO Project, which included the Polegate Bypass scheme among others. Interim on-account payments totalling £5m (including VAT) have been made. The Polegate Bypass scheme is in the Government's Targeted Plan of Improvements.