§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he received the planning application for Thameslink 2000; what associated applications have been submitted, and on what dates; what progress has been made in relation to the(a) planning and (b) associated applications; when he expects to make a decision; and if he will make a statement. [93073]
§ Mr. LeslieRailtrack have, at various stages, made 47 separate applications in regard to the Thameslink 2000 project, many of which replaced or varied earlier ones. They first applied in November 1997 for an Order under the Transport and Works Act (TWA) and for planning permission, together with applications for listed building consent (LBC) and conservation area consent (CAC). These proposals were modified by further applications in 1998 and 1999 for LBC and CAC and, in September 1999, for an amending TWA Order and related planning permission. In October 2000, while the public inquiry was underway, Railtrack submitted a further tranche of amending planning and LBC applications. The position concerning the applications is therefore a complex one which has involved many changes.
The inspector who held the public inquiry provided a report in January 2002, followed by supplementary reports in May and June 2002. These were published in July 2002. In summary, he concluded that whilst the scheme would bring very substantial transportation, regeneration and economic benefits, there were three key deficiencies in the scheme—at London Bridge and Blackfriars stations and in the Borough High Street area—which required resolution before a decision could appropriately be made on the scheme as a whole. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has since been giving careful consideration to the inspector's conclusions and to the many representations which have been received since the inquiry closed. These include a letter of 31 October 2002 from the Strategic Rail Authority who proposed that the scheme be split into two phases and asked for approval to be granted subject to conditions to deal with the outstanding issues identified by the inspector.
865WWe are today informing Railtrack that a decision on the scheme is to be deferred pending the submission and consideration of fresh applications aimed at addressing the deficiencies identified by the inspector, an amended Environmental Statement and a proper examination of the SRA's proposal to split the project into two phases. This will require a re-opening of the earlier inquiry.