Greenwich hopes Crossrail will unite east and west
Crossrail is an imaginative rail link scheme to link east and west London with a high-frequency heavy rail service.
The new Crossrail main railway line will pass through the northern part of the borough.
Work set to start
The construction of Crossrail will begin in the borough in the autumn of 2009 with the preparation of the worksite in Plumstead.
Enabling work
The work will be centred around the Old Coal Yard at the western end of the White Hart Triangle. It includes:
- getting the site ready for the main tunnelling
- putting up hoardings to secure the area
- setting up wheel washes for the lorries to stop the transfer of mud from the site onto the public highway.
Actual work
The actual works will follow in 2010. These include:
- the tunnelling, which will start at the 'Plumstead Portal' where the rail line will drop below the surface and continue north and west under Woolwich to begin its journey under the river Thames
- 'on line' work between Plumstead and Abbey Wood, which requires two additional tracks and the replacement of two footbridges across the widened line (Crossrail will run with overhead power lines between the two re-aligned North Kent tracks)
- the rebuilding of Abbey Wood station to accommodate the two additional lines and overhead cables
- the excavation of the 'station box' in the Royal Arsenal site in Woolwich.
Context Reports
Crossrail is providing reports that outline the process and work which will happen in the borough. These are known as Context Reports.
The Context Report for Greenwich is available for viewing:
Crossrail Context Report (Crossrail website)
You can also view it in hard copy at the Council's Planning Counter at:
Crown Building
48 Woolwich New Road
London SE18 6HQ
Planning matters
Crossrail differs from most planning applications as the Crossrail Act forms the basis of its planning permission. The Crossrail Act was agreed by Parliament in July 2008 (the 'Royal Assent').
Crossrail Act (Department for Transport website)
The Council still has planning control over some areas of the scheme, and these are set out in Schedule 7 of the Crossrail Act.
Some of the areas the Council has planning control over are:
- road transport (lorry routes)
- handling of re-useable spoil and topsoil
- storage sites
- construction camps (if appropriate)
- screening (hoarding)
- artificial lighting
- suppression of dust
- mud on the highway
Construction requirements
The construction of Crossrail will be governed by the Environmental Minimum Requirements (EMR). The details of these requirements are set out in four documents:
- General Principals
- The Construction Code
- The Planning and Heritage Memorandum
- The Environment Memorandum
These documents provide controls and standards that the contractors who are building the railway (the 'nominated undertakers'), and others working for them, will have to work to. The EMR has been developed by Cross London Rail Links with the Local Authorities and Statutory Agencies.
View the Environment Minimum Requirements documents (crossrail website)
Claims
In May 2009, Crossrail appointed OSG-Miller International as the administrator for its Small Claims Scheme. The scheme will run throughout the construction of Crossrail.
It is designed to give a prompt response at minimum cost and inconvenience to claimants.
Under the scheme, a member of the public who considers that he or she has a small claim for physical damage arising from the construction-related activity of Crossrail can file a claim. If immediate action cannot be taken to resolve or settle the claim, it will be passed to the small claims administrator.
The administrator will be responsible for:
- investigating the claim
- deciding whether the claim is warranted
- assessing the damage
- arranging payment to the claimant.
In the event that a claimant considers the award from the Small Claims Scheme administrator to be inadequate, he or she can write to the Crossrail Complaints Commissioner requesting arbitration.
OSG-Miller International have experience in operating a similar scheme put in place during the construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (High Speed 1).
Questions and complaints
For full details of the Crossrail scheme, visit the Crossrail website.
If you have further queries or complaints about the work that is being done in Greenwich in relation to Crossrail, contact the Crossrail Helpdesk in the first instance. The helpdesk is open 24 hours daily:
Crossrail Helpdesk
Tel: 0845 602 3813
Email: helpdesk@crossrail.co.uk
The Council maintains the right to enforce compliance with the Codes of Construction for work agreed by Schedule 7 submissions, and queries relating to these should be addressed to the Planning Enforcement section at Greenwich Council.
Further information
Crossrail - together with Greenwich Council - will be setting up several Public Liaison Forums. The details of these will be announced as the full work programme becomes clearer.
The forums are designed to give representatives from local residents' groups and businesses the opportunity to meet several times a year to discuss the ongoing works with the Crossrail team.