ELLX - More hype by local journalists?
 

http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk...name_page.html

Quote
Anger as rail depot gets under way near homes
Oct 30 2007
THE East London Extension line has been universally welcomed by
residents and politicians.
By mid-2010, the line will run north through Lewisham and Southwark,
to the East End, City and Shoreditch, with an extension to Highbury
and Islington due in February 2011.
But the monumental upgrade is not without problems, as fears have
emerged about the scale of development.
New Cross residents' lives have already been disrupted on work that
has started on a new depot to serve the line.
They fear this may be the start of an ongoing problem and that local
authorities in their rush to usher the scheme in have forgotten about
their welfare.
Dorian Williams, from New Cross Gate, said the new depot was
surrounded by homes whose owners were not getting the consideration
they deserved.
He said: "Tenants and residents feel that the removal of trees and
undergrowth from around the depot site has significantly impacted on
their quality of life.
"We are shocked to discover there is nothing requiring Transport for
London (TfL) and their contractors to reinstate any trees or
vegetation after the works have been completed."
Mr Williams has helped organise a New Cross Gate residents' liaison
group which has so far met with contractor Balfour Beatty four
times,most recently on October 16.
Network Rail representatives have failed to attend a single meeting
and TfL did not go to the most recent one, although it says a
representative from the works contractor did attend.
Mr Williams said: "Despite four meetings, we are not getting anywhere
and it is just becoming a talking shop.We are still asking the same
questions without getting anywhere and feel we are being fobbed off."
Mr Williams and fellow residents believe the extension works will
create serious noise and pollution for residents, and the new flyover
will look bad and cause vibrations in houses.
Aref Makooi who lives in Cold Blow Lane,said: "My home is close to the
line and depot and, since they started cutting down the trees, we
could hear a lot more noise and it is really annoying at times.
"The fact that they were working 24 hours, seven days a week, has been
stressful - there's two of us living here, we work from home and it's
disturbing.
"It is upsetting that there is very little response from the council
or the railways."
Resident Flemming Rasmussen said: "There has been an attitude that
this is going to be done no matter what the cost.
"I'm in Sterling Gardens and have huge concerns about the new 24-hour
depot.
"We have no proof that promises that a sound barrier will be put in.
"When I mentioned that work has to start more than three years after
planning was given, in 1997, and that new consultations should have
been held, my concerns were brushed aside by the council and TfL.
"The only people that have been trying to inform us has been Balfour
Beatty. In Sterling Gardens we were never invited to any meeting about
the extension until February this year.
"We need to be better consulted and reassured about the impact on our
neighbourhood. We are not against progress but we have been badly
treated."
A TfL spokesman said: "We appreciate that construction on this scale
inevitably involves some disruption to local residents, but we would
ask them to bear with us, because the extended East London line will
bring great benefits to the area.
"Staying in touch with local residents is important to us.
"In April, we invited more than 1,000 people to an information centre
about the project, and we continue to ensure that our contractor BBCJV
organises two meetings a month to keep local residents informed."
Unquote

ELLX - More hype by local journalists?
 

On Oct 31, 2:57 pm, Mwmbwls wrote:
He said: "Tenants and residents feel that the removal of trees and
undergrowth from around the depot site has significantly impacted on
their quality of life.

"quality of life" and "new cross" seems like a contradiction. If you
want trees and shrubs don't live in the inner city.

B2003

ELLX - More hype by local journalists?
 

On 31 Oct, 14:57, Mwmbwls wrote:
http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk...londonheadline...

Quote
Anger as rail depot gets under way near homes
Oct 30 2007
THE East London Extension line has been universally welcomed by
residents and politicians.
By mid-2010, the line will run north through Lewisham and Southwark,
to the East End, City and Shoreditch, with an extension to Highbury
and Islington due in February 2011.
But the monumental upgrade is not without problems, as fears have
emerged about the scale of development.
New Cross residents' lives have already been disrupted on work that
has started on a new depot to serve the line.
They fear this may be the start of an ongoing problem and that local
authorities in their rush to usher the scheme in have forgotten about
their welfare.
Dorian Williams, from New Cross Gate, said the new depot was
surrounded by homes whose owners were not getting the consideration
they deserved.
He said: "Tenants and residents feel that the removal of trees and
undergrowth from around the depot site has significantly impacted on
their quality of life.
"We are shocked to discover there is nothing requiring Transport for
London (TfL) and their contractors to reinstate any trees or
vegetation after the works have been completed."
Mr Williams has helped organise a New Cross Gate residents' liaison
group which has so far met with contractor Balfour Beatty four
times,most recently on October 16.
Network Rail representatives have failed to attend a single meeting
and TfL did not go to the most recent one, although it says a
representative from the works contractor did attend.
Mr Williams said: "Despite four meetings, we are not getting anywhere
and it is just becoming a talking shop.We are still asking the same
questions without getting anywhere and feel we are being fobbed off."
Mr Williams and fellow residents believe the extension works will
create serious noise and pollution for residents, and the new flyover
will look bad and cause vibrations in houses.
Aref Makooi who lives in Cold Blow Lane,said: "My home is close to the
line and depot and, since they started cutting down the trees, we
could hear a lot more noise and it is really annoying at times.
"The fact that they were working 24 hours, seven days a week, has been
stressful - there's two of us living here, we work from home and it's
disturbing.
"It is upsetting that there is very little response from the council
or the railways."
Resident Flemming Rasmussen said: "There has been an attitude that
this is going to be done no matter what the cost.
"I'm in Sterling Gardens and have huge concerns about the new 24-hour
depot.
"We have no proof that promises that a sound barrier will be put in.
"When I mentioned that work has to start more than three years after
planning was given, in 1997, and that new consultations should have
been held, my concerns were brushed aside by the council and TfL.
"The only people that have been trying to inform us has been Balfour
Beatty. In Sterling Gardens we were never invited to any meeting about
the extension until February this year.
"We need to be better consulted and reassured about the impact on our
neighbourhood. We are not against progress but we have been badly
treated."
A TfL spokesman said: "We appreciate that construction on this scale
inevitably involves some disruption to local residents, but we would
ask them to bear with us, because the extended East London line will
bring great benefits to the area.
"Staying in touch with local residents is important to us.
"In April, we invited more than 1,000 people to an information centre
about the project, and we continue to ensure that our contractor BBCJV
organises two meetings a month to keep local residents informed."
Unquote


Hmm - I don't necessarily think that this is hype by the local
journalist, it sounds like they're reporting an issue of local
concern.

Given that the story includes comments from a resident of Sterling
Gardens, it might however be a pretty localised issue of concern.
Sterling Gardens is however *very* close to the new depot site - it's
literally just across the ELR running lines, and is a relatively
recent development on ex-railway land which I think used to be part of
the goods yard there.

Map of Sterling Gardens:
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.sr... Gardens,+SE14

I use the ELL fairly frequently, and work is certainly proceeding
apace here - so I can quite imagine that 24/7 construction is pretty
disturbing for those living on this road.

I can also imagine that these residents were perhaps not well briefed
on exactly what was going to happen. I guess that from TfL's
perspective I can see why - after all, if you proactively tell people
that you're going to be causing a significant disturbance to them then
they're not likely to be pleased.

However this approach leads to people on the receiving end feeling
somewhat disenfranchised and alienated that the 'authorities' are just
riding roughshod over them.

I'm fully in support of the ELLX, and I don't live in the affected
street, nor indeed in New Cross, but nonetheless I'm minded to be
sympathetic to these concerns.

ELLX - More hype by local journalists?
 

On Oct 31, 9:28 pm, Mizter T wrote:

Hmm - I don't necessarily think that this is hype by the local
journalist, it sounds like they're reporting an issue of local
concern.

Point taken - I must not let my prejudice that " The only good
journalist is a ...etc." get the better of me (until the next time).

I use the ELL fairly frequently, and work is certainly proceeding
apace here - so I can quite imagine that 24/7 construction is pretty
disturbing for those living on this road.

I can also imagine that these residents were perhaps not well briefed
on exactly what was going to happen.

As you are going past on a regular basis - there was an interesting
snippet in the November 2007 "Modern Railways" article on the ELL
saying that TfL are hoping for funding to be announced in November for
the Phase Two link to Clapham Junction along the western side of the
Silwood Triangle past the SELCHP plant and on to rejoin Nertwork Rail
just north of Wagner Street. In terms of disrupting New Cross
residents - it would seem sensible to do this once. In engineering
terms building the link (if only the major civils work) during the
closure of the ELL seems sensible - avoiding the need for future
possessions. And as MP's and Councillors from across South London have
pointed out doing it would be highly cost effective and contribute to
Olympic mobility. Does the existing ELL work include the Phase Two
Junction in its existing scope?