Waiting to meet Skanska Grant Rail to find out more about the planned works . . . .
Attached the latest and approved drawings for the Abbey Road DLR station.
Depressing as it is – our comments made during the consulation in regards to access seem to have been ignored in the latest design – though a meeting with DLR is scheduled to clarify this.
To download the drawings click here -> dlr-planning-drawings.pdf (beware they are 35MB)
The Drawings came to us via Newham. We are still hoping to get some further documents from DLR which conclude the outcome from the various consultations that should have ‘informed’ the design. Getting the information to fully understand what changes are being made to ones immediate environment is like drawing blood from a stone. One wonders why it is so difficult to get straight answers. I spent most of my week writing emails to DLR and to Newham bit by bit piecing together fragments of information. A disappointing highlight so far was a meeting with Skanska Grant Rail (the company working on behalf of DLR) After taking time off work to make the meeting we were presented with two difficult to read drawings and with no clear explanation of what they were showing. An increasingly frustrating process of mining for information. One can’t help but getting disheartened. Though in fairness Skanska promptly arrange a follow on meeting with DLR to get full clarification.
I am looking forward to more positive things like picking an apple or harvesting some seeds.
A similar journey of enquiry regarding the context works surrounding the new station ended with a very clear email from Murray Woodburn, Consultant Transport Planner, Olympics and Major Development, Public Realm and Transportation. (see below) it captures the the current state of affairs quite well. Again things are different to what we were let to believe but at least it is a clear and straight forward answer – yet again it took a hole string of emails to get to those answers.
Dear Mr Lang
Shelley has been copying me your various emails on this subject and I though it would be easier to liaise with you directly.
OPTEMS (Olympic Park Transport and Environmental Mitigation Schemes) is a fund made available by ODA to the five host Boroughs for schemes which will mitigate against the adverse environmental and transport effects of the Olympic Park, both during construction and games-time. (A further separate fund will be made available later for any mitigations required in legacy mode).
The five Boroughs have been invited to prepare bids for a share of the OPTEMS fund – which is around £15m in total. While the majority of this fund will be allocated to bids which have a direct transport and environmental benefit (eg junction improvements etc), a proportion will be available for more aesthetic streetscape improvements, provided that a linkage to the Olympic Park can be demonstrated.
As part of a strategy to maximise the use of public transport for journeys to and from the Olympic Park and to improve access to public transport nodes, the Council is preparing bids for so-called ‘context works’ for Stratford High Street, Star Lane, Abbey Road and West Ham DLR stations. Realistically, the OPTEMS bids being prepared cannot match the costings prepared in the earlier feasibility work – as there are more pressing schemes with more demonstrable linkages to environmental and transport mitigations. As a result, the proposed bid to OPTEMS for Abbey Road DLR is for £250k. Bidding tactics dictate that an attempt to bid for the entire costed amount would be likely to be unsuccessful and we have a greater chance of success with a smaller bid.
While the bid is currently loosely described as ‘streetscape improvements to facilitate access to the new DLR station’, this is aimed specifically at pedestrians and cyclists, and therefore does not preclude measures to mitigate against the adverse impacts of increased vehicular traffic around the station. I also note that you have concerns over drop-off at the station. Our intention is to monitor the drop-off activity at all the new Stratford Extension stations, and in the event that it becomes a problem, then we will consult with the local community over the introduction of parking and waiting restrictions around the station to discourage this. However, at present, we are not convinced this will be a major issue for a minor station like Abbey Road – but as I say it will be monitored by the Council. I am sure that should a problem develop, you and your fellow residents will make sure we know about it promptly and quick action can be taken.
Regarding bid priorities, there is no priority, inferred or otherwise, in our bid submissions to ODA – and these range from bus priority and bus service improvements to disabled crossing upgrades at signal controlled junctions. The ODA assessment panel will determine the priority for themselves and allocate the fund on that basis. I can therefore offer no guarantee that our bid will be successful. This will depend on the other schemes submitted by the other Boroughs for ODA consideration. However, I can assure you that we will make every effort to enhance the bid to maximise its chances of success.
It should also be noted that this will not be our only chance to secure funding for Abbey Road, as there is a parallel process known as the ‘Multi-Agency Agreement’ where a substantially larger pot of money is available for environmental and other enhancement around the fringes of the Olympic Park. This fund is specifically aimed at reducing the ‘cliff edge’ effect of the newly constructed and aesthetically pleasing Olympic Park with its somewhat scruffy environs. The bid process for this has only begun recently, and my colleague John Herman from the Newham 2012 Unit is assisting in the compilation of this – as it has a more cross-departmental remit than OPTEMS.
Should we be successful in obtaining funding from any source, there would then follow a consultation process on the scheme with local residents to ensure that local aspirations are met as well as possible with the available funds.
Finally, regarding timescales, bid preparation to OPTEMS is underway now with a view to submission in mid/late March. However, it is unclear how long the ODA decision process might be before monies are allocated to the successful bids – so I cannot tell you when a definitive decision will be available.
I hope this addresses some of your queries, and if I can be of any further help during the bidding process or thereafter, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Kind regards
Murray Woodburn
Murray Woodburn
Consultant Transport Planner
Olympics and Major Development
Public Realm and Transportation
and a follow on email read:
I’m afraid the attached drawing probably is redundant unless we can pool funds from a number of different sources to fund it. At the moment it is probably just a starting point for a revised proposal to suit the funds we have available.
And there is no scheme available to look at yet – as only a successful bid will allow for the detailed working up of any new proposal. However, on the plus side, it may allow for greater input from residents if a ‘new’ scheme is developed following a successful bid.
See also earlier entry from April 5th, 2007
(btw – access to Abbey Gardens is still blocked)
