Schedule 13
Crossrail Bill
12:45 pm
Tom Harris (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport; Glasgow South, Labour)
Again, the amendment is not necessary, but I can understand why the hon. Gentleman tabled it and the concerns that he has expressed. Paragraph 10 of schedule 13 deals with applications for the issue of a permit under the London lorry ban order in connection with the carrying out of Crossrail works authorised by the Bill, whether in an emergency, when special procedures set out in paragraph 11 apply, or in other circumstances. The London lorry ban order enables restrictions to be put in place on the use of heavy goods vehicles in the scheme area to help to minimise noise pollution in residential areas during unsocial hours.
Sub-paragraph (3) of paragraph 10 requires that if an application is granted
“no condition may be imposed which is likely to obstruct the carrying out of authorised works...in a timely and efficient manner, or...in accordance with approved arrangements.”
Sub-paragraph (4) allows an applicant aggrieved by a decision on the issue under sub-paragraph (2) or conditioning under sub-paragraph (3) of a permit to appeal to the Secretary of State.
The amendments proposed by the hon. Member for Wimbledon would allow the authority responsible for issuing permits to condition the permit in a way that could obstruct the timely and efficient carrying out of Crossrail works or be inconsistent with approvals previously given by the relevant local planning authorities to lorry routes.
The amendment is not desirable. It would allow the issuing authority to overrule the careful consideration that local planning authorities will already have given to the matter of lorry routing under the schedule 7 consents process. Schedule 7 expressly provides that the local planning authority may modify the nominated undertaker’s proposed arrangements for lorry routing on grounds including the preservation of the local environment, where that is reasonably possible. In other words, the amendment would undermine the good work that local authorities had already done on lorry routing.
In addition, the amendment would expose the project to additional cost and risk of delay. It is unreasonable for the project to face that risk, given the protections available to local residents through the schedule 7 process. There is the opportunity to petition in the Bill itself, and there have been a number of undertakings to petitioners on the matter of lorry routing. With those assurances about the other protections available to local residents as regards lorry routing, I invite the hon. Gentleman to withdraw the amendment.