Environmental issues raised but overall support given
Ealing
Council has submitted to Parliament its petition in response to the Crossrail
Bill.
The council supports the project and is generally supportive
of the Bill, however, it has a number of concerns about the impact its
construction and operation will have on the local area.
Ealing's Cabinet member for Transport and Planning Policy, Councillor
Ray Wall, said,"Overall, the Crossrail project will benefit Ealing
by improving our links to central London and other parts of the city. "
However he adds that the Council is disappointed with the need for the project to acquire land in the borough and that assurances are being sought that alternatives will be considered and the impact minimised.
Concern is expressed in the petition with the compulsory acquisition of land throughout
the borough and, in particular, the Great Western and Noel Road allotments
and the partial acquisition of the playing field from the West Acton Primary
School. The majority of this land take will be for temporary worksites.
However, the loss will result in a change to the physical characteristics
of those areas, as well as having a social impact.
It is also requested that all efforts to minimise or eliminate impacts from construction should be explored and that the proposed hours of operation should be shortened where possible. The council has requested Crossrail provide the strictest proof of necessity before being permitted to remove or lop any tree and that Crossrail should replace any trees on a like for like basis.
The petition asks that the project deal sympathetically with Hanwell's Grade II listed building and improve the station in terms of safety
and accessibility.
For West Ealing and Ealing Town Centre Stations it is requested that the infrastructure at the sites allows an increase of the
Greenford line to four trains an hour. For
Ealing Broadway Station it was request that the issue of the undersized ticketing hall and forecourt were addressed.
Many of these issues had already been addressed in a petition made by Southfield ward Liberal Democrat Councillor Gary Malcolm. He also raised the issue of frequency of trains at Acton Mainline station which have recently been reduced by First Great Western.
October 3, 2005