KHOODEELAAR! asking GLA member Valerie Shawcross: Now you have heard Boris Johnson's' crass 'replies' to your questions, will YOU do the decent thing and DISOWN Crassrail yourself?
[To be continued]
http://londonreconnections.blogspot.com/2009/03/mayors-question-time-0309-crossrail.html
Mayor's Question Time - 03/09: Crossrail
Elephant & Castle, regeneration proximity, consultations on contributions, funding through fare raises, what's happened so far.
How were the decisions made to place Elephant and Castle and Nine Elms to include in the area of benefit for Crossrail – at which meeting, on which advice and where is the supporting documentation. - Valerie Shawcross
The proposed alterations to the London Plan to enable the raising of financial contributions towards the cost of Crossrail from developments through S.106 agreements were agreed for initial consultation with the London Assembly and the GLA Functional Bodies via the Mayoral decision making process (MD218) in November 2008.
I agree that charges should be sought from office developments within the Central Activities Zone (CAZ) and the northern part of the Isle of Dogs. CAZ is defined in the London Plan (Policy 5G.1 and map 5G.1, pp 352-3, London Plan February 2008). Elephant and Castle and Nine Elms fall within the CAZ boundary.
The rationale for using CAZ to define a charging zone for Crossrail contributions is set out in the draft Supplementary Planning Guidance and the supporting research documents from TfL and their consultants. These were published in December 2008 together with the proposed Alterations and can be found on the GLA’s website at: http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/planning/crossrail/index.jsp.
Are there any regeneration schemes closer than 3 kilometres to a rail station that have not be included and are there any other schemes 3 kilometres or further from the nearest Crossrail station that have been included in the same way? - Valerie Shawcross
I am afraid that it is extremely difficult to answer your specific questions without a more precise definition of what is meant by “regeneration scheme” (which could cover a very broad range of potential development). Officers in the London Plan team would be glad to help, and I would invite you to contact them.
The draft alterations to the London Plan to enable the raising of financial contributions towards the cost of Crossrail from developments through S.106 agreements propose that charges should be sought in from office developments:
Within the Central Activities Zone (CAZ);
The northern part of the Isle of Dogs (IoD); and
Around Crossrail stations beyond central London, in circumstances set out in paragraph 4.20 of the draft Supplementary Planning Guidance.
I am currently considering responses to these proposals and I may expand on the advice given on the latter category when I issue the public consultation draft versions of the proposed alterations and draft SPG shortly. This could affect the answer to your questions.
Will you publish all the responses you have had to the consultation about contributions from developments for Crossrail? - Mike Tuffrey
Yes.
I have received 35 responses to the initial consultation (including the formal one from the Assembly Planning and Housing Committee). I am still considering the issues they have raised.
I intend to launch the public consultation on the Crossrail Alteration in April. When I do, the responses received will be placed on the GLA website.
If there is a substantial decline in fares revenue due to the recession will you have to consider raising fares beyond RPI + 1% in order to cover Crossrail costs? - Jenny Jones
The borrowing that TfL is undertaking for the Crossrail funding package is based on future Crossrail fare income from when services begin in 2017.
I can assure you that in putting together the funding package a variety of scenarios were assessed to ensure that TfL’s financial position remains robust and I am confident that it is and will be.
If you fail to raise £300m towards the cost of Crossrail from section 106 agreements on large developments of new commercial office space in the Central Activities Zone will you have to consider raising fares beyond RPI + 1% in order to cover Crossrail costs? - Jenny Jones
I envisage being able to raise £300m of Section 106 contributions, £100m of which has already come through an agreement with Wood Wharf on the Isle of Dogs.
If we did not raise the sum then we would of course have to look at a range of options. However, rather than speculate on a series of variables at a point sometime in the future, I want to emphasize that the research that we have undertaken shows that raising this sum between now and 2026 (the period to be covered by the proposed London Plan policy enabling collection of these contributions) should be possible.
Crossrail is part of the route out of the recession in London and crucial in supporting future growth and jobs. Crossrail unlocks development opportunities and enables the intensification of the London economy especially in the key business districts and locations like Wood Wharf.
Crossrail is a marker of future confidence in London and particularly for investors and developers in taking forward future schemes. This in turn provides the basis for the Section 106 element of the funding package.
When will you publish the profile of Transport for London’s and the Government’s funding contributions to Crossrail? - Jenny Jones
This was initially outlined in the Crossrail Heads of Terms published 26 November 2007 which covers TfL and DfT contributions from 2008/09 onwards. It has been updated in the recent TfL Business Plan covering the TfL contributions from the period 2009/2010 onwards (and these contributions will also be in future Business Plans). The DfT contributions will be published via an annual statement on Crossrail financing. The first of these statements is due to be published this summer.
What specific Crossrail projects have been funded and have gone ahead this year? What is the total cost underspend on the projected expenditure for this financial year and what will you do with this underspend? - Jenny Jones
Crossrail is not a series of separate projects but a complex programme of integrated activities to deliver 118km of underground and surface railway for London and the South-East. Crossrail Ltd (CRL), a subsidiary of Transport for London, has been charged with delivering the programme on time and within the budget of £15.9bn.
The programme is being funded as a whole, and the concept of under or over-spend is only relevant to the overall funding constraint of £15.9bn. CRL expects to deliver the programme within the approved budget and is not currently projecting any over or under-spend, although the effort to identify and capture savings will continue to be a vital part of CRL's aims. However, given we are in the first year of a nine year programme, and the £15.9bn budget must be viewed as a whole, any potential savings would be determined towards the end of the programme.
The expenditure on the programme will be phased over the duration of the works, and annual business planning by CRL and TfL will take full account of this through to financial year 2017/18. This planning will be focussed on the core Crossrail objective of bringing the project within the approved budget of £15.9bn and CRL remains confident that this will be delivered.
Delivery has reached the point at which scheme design is effectively complete and detailed design packages are being tendered. A programme partner has been appointed and appointment of a project delivery partner is imminent. Compulsory purchase of affected property along the route has commenced, and enabling works are under way. Related work for the construction of stations being undertaken by CRL's works partners, London Underground and Network Rail, has already commenced. Although these activities, and the momentum they are giving to the programme, are significant, the delivery of Crossrail is still at an early stage.
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