During the process of the Lords petition hearings the Committee made four visits to inspect various sites of interest on the proposed Crossrail Route. The Committee also visited the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel and a ventilation shaft at Rotherhithe. The Committee welcomed the participation of Petitioners, relevant experts and Crossrail representatives in these visits. At each location we were given an overview of the particular issues that had been raised by Petitioners, together with construction methodology.

Whitechapel and Hanbury Street, 20 February 2008

The Committee undertook a visit to Whitechapel. The Committee were shown around the London Underground station at Whitechapel and were given an overview of how Crossrail would interchange with the current District and East London Lines. The Committee were then shown where the project would impact on the local environs. In particular, we were shown the locations of the proposed eastern and western ticket halls, at Cambridge Heath Road and Fulbourne Street respectively. The Committee then visited Durward Street to see how the local petitioners would be affected by the proposals in the Bill.

The Committee then visited the proposed site of the Hanbury Street Shaft where emergency access and ventilation would be provided. We then walked the proposed route of lorries that would remove the excavated material from the Hanbury Street shaft site, via Spital Street, Buxton Street and to the junction of Buxton Street and Vallance Street.

The Committee are grateful to PC Stephen Mills, Operational Planner, and the Metropolitan Police Service (Tower Hamlets Borough) for assisting the Committee during the visit.

Isle of Dogs, 21 February 2008

The Committee participated in a visit to the Isle of Dogs. The Committee viewed the proposed North Dock site, the site of the Isle of Dogs station, from a vantage point on the Great Wharf Bridge. Here the Committee were given an indication of where the, Isle of Dogs station eastern entrance island and ticket hall would be located.

The Committee then went to Adams Place to view the proposed site of the Isle of Dogs station western ticket hall entrance island and ticket hall. We were also able to note the proximity of a variety of petitioners in conjunction with the proposed works.

High Holborn and Rotherhithe, 5 March 2008

A recurrent concern for many Petitioners was groundborne noise resulting from the running of a railway, and the issue of what levels of noise would be acceptable or not. To achieve a better understanding of the operational groundborne noise criteria as explained in Crossrail Information Paper D10—Groundborne Noise and Vibration, the Committee undertook a visit to the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel in High Holborn. The Committee are grateful to the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel for allowing one of their rooms to be set up to allow the Committee to listen to a varying range of groundborne noise made by London Underground trains on the Central and Piccadilly lines.

The Committee then visited a ventilation shaft at Culling Road, Rotherhithe. The purpose of this visit was to experience the noise emitted from a current fixed installation, between Bermondsey and Canada Water stations on the Jubilee Line Extension. This assisted the Committee in gaining an understanding of some of the issues pertinent to Crossrail Information Paper D25—Noise from Fixed Installations.

Paddington, 28 April 2008

The Committee's final visit was to Paddington and included other locations in the vicinity of the station. The Committee saw where the Crossrail Station would be constructed beneath Eastbourne Terrace. We were advised of the impact of the proposed traffic access and restrictions along Bishop's Bridge Road, Eastbourne Terrace and Praed Street. We were then shown the Red-Star Depot which had been identified as a suitable alternative to the existing taxi facilities at the station.

The Committee then visited the proposed site of the Royal Oak Portal, where Crossrail's tunnels would surface and join with the existing tracks before the service continued west. The Committee were also shown Westbourne Park Bus Garage which will provide a clear worksite to handle spoil produced from the construction of the Royal Oak Portal and the Paddington Station box.

The Committee were then shown the Westbourne Park footbridge, on the Great Western Main Line which links the newly built Westminster Academy and Westbourne Park Villas. The Committee also visited the property of Mr Payne on Stanhope Terrace.