a) Notes of informal meetings with Crossrail and updates given to the Barbican Association General Council
b) Minutes of the City of
c) Questions put to Crossrail and their Answers
This is Crossrail’s own site. Its Near You facility [https://www.crossrail.co.uk/near-you/], which provides local information to your postcode.
The BA’s Crossrail subgroup consists of: Jane Smith (chair, BA; chairBA@btinternet.com), Richard Collins, John Fitzpatrick, Tim Holloway.
The deputy chairman, hon. sec, and chair of the BA’s planning subcommittee are ex officio members.
Crossrail on settlement
Summary of Crossrail presentation on settlement
One of the major things that has always bothered residents about the Crossrail development is the risk of structural damage to their flats.
Just before Christmas the Crossrail team gave an informal presentation to the BA’s Crossrail group about the findings of their assessment of the Barbican. In July, seven months later, having completed the assessment and about to issue the final reports, they gave a similar presentation to a wider group of BA general council members and house group chairs.
The big risks to the Barbican Estate disappeared when Crossrail decided not to build a cross-over cavern under the estate. That meant there would be less ground movement and no need for protective measures like compensation grouting
Crossrail assessed the whole estate because it is listed and because many of the buildings are built on piles – but they have produced reports only for those buildings that fall within their 10 mm settlement contours (the area surrounding the path of the tunnel that might be subject to movement of up to 10 mm).
These are: Shakespeare, Willoughby+Speed, John Trundle + Bunyan, Lambert Jones, Lauderdale, Defoe, Gilbert, Andrewes, Brandon Mews.
None of these get a score above 1 (very slight cracks, easily treated during normal redecoration). And Defoe, Lambert Jones, Andrews, Brandon, and Willoughby+Speed get a score of 0 (negligible).
Crossrail’s conclusion is that “no significant settlement impacts are predicted. Crossrail will, however conduct baseline inspections before the tunnels come through under the estate and will monitor settlement for some time.
The housegroup chairs of Shakespeare, Willoughby+Speed, John Trundle + Bunyan, Lambert Jones, Lauderdale, Defoe, Gilbert, Andrewes, Brandon Mews have a copy of the formal report (which is fairly technical), if anyone wants to see a copy. Also the BA is proposing to leave a set of the 9 reports in the Barbican library for reference by any resident (they probably won’t be there till early September).
Update 6th July 2010
Moorfields – access. It looks as though Crossrail are going to include escalators as part of the access to the estate from the east if they need to move the current escalators: “We've requested the City's escalator specifications so that we can finalise the design for highwalk access in the event that we need to alter close the existing access.“
Farringdon: In July Crossrail are digging a borehole in
The Crossrail working group are meeting Crossrail on 14 July to hear about Crossrail’s application to dig a small borehole over a fortnight near the GSMD.
Here is information about Crossrail’s work at Finsbury Circus
https://www.crossrail.co.uk/ny/pdf/Newsletter-crossrail_works_in_Finsbury_Circus_Gardens_p.f)
Settlement letters
These have gone out to several residents across the estate. We have asked the City for information on its own response to the Crossrail letter and its advice to long leaseholders.
Update 9 April 2010
Crossrail is still considering our request for Saturday hours of working to be 9am - 2pm instead of 8am -1pm. They haven't agreed but neither have they ruled it out
Update 11 March 2010
The BA has asked for hours of work at
Update on Crossrail to BAGC March 2010
Two meetings took place with Crossrail in February, one an informal briefing about Liverpool Street Station at Moorgate and the other the first of the Barbican Crossrail Forum.
The original intention had been to build the Crossrail ticket hall at basement level underneath the main Moorgate Station (i.e. the bit between Moorfields and Moorgate). That would not have affected escalator or ramp access to the Highwalk.
The Crossrail team are now working on a different plan, to building a ground level joint ticket hall for Crossrail and London Underground on the site of the current LU station on the west side of Moorfields. This would involve Crossrail buying all of 17-31 Moorfields. They would demolish the existing building (preserving access via the escalator), build half the station, and at the north end of the site build two lifts and a staircase up to the Highwalk. Once these were built they would then close the existing escalators and build the rest of the station. In both options the ramp would stay in its current position.
In both options Crossrail will hoard off the buildings between Moorfields and Moorgate because they are building the station shaft there (irrespective of where the ticket hall is). Demolishing would start summer 2010.
Issues
a) We don’t want to lose escalators. So if they move the access to the Highwalk, could we have an escalator as well as lifts?
b) Consider moving the ramp to be next to the other means of access
c) The passage on the Highwalk from the new position of the lifts/stairs/escalators narrows to about 12 feet at one point – pinch point?
d) Crossrail haven’t got a partner developer for the site yet, so the plan for access to the Highwalk could change yet again once a developer/partner comes on board
2) General information given at Barbican area Forum
This was attended by lots of Crossrail people, City officers, members, BA and RCC and house group representatives, Arts Centre representative, and the odd small business in Moorfields. The Forum will meet roughly every six months.
2010 in this area Crossrail are doing procurement, enabling works, and demolition. The trains will operate in 2017. Two weeks before any major works leaflets will be distributed to premises nearby, and there’s a section on Crossrail’s website called “Near You” to tell people about work near them. There’s also a 24/7 helpline, for any questions complaints.
At the east end of Farringdon Station work on demolishing the block between
In 2011 shafts will be built at
The main tunnels will be bored from
Hours of work across all Crossrail sites will be 8-6, and 8-1 on Saturday morning
The issues around the Moorfields end of Liverpool Station were also discussed and the same points about escalators were made.
Crossrail expect to make a decision about what option to take over the station in 4-6 weeks.
The next meeting of the Forum will cover:
Tunnelling, traffic management, Finsbury Circus, the role of the complaints commissioner
3 March 2010