
On Carlton Bridge,Great Western Rd above canal where Crossrail tunnel segments could go into Westbourne Park
With the additional lorry movements application withdrawn by Crossrail before the 1st of March town planning meeting and the operational approval of the right turn at Great Western Road along the Harrow Road (otherwise known as the Prince of Wales junction) from the 10th of March, this can be seen for it was always now – a stitch up against the canal option to move the tunnel linings from Old Oak Common to Paddington.
It was clear something was afoot right from the outsight, as the application was only accepted by the City of Westminster on the last working day before christmas eve in 2011 when it had been with them a few months by then. Furthermore the contractor BFK confirmed that no effort had been made to cost and entertain other options like canal and rail other then lorries along the Harrow Rd at a Paddington station liason Meeting on the 23rd of January when l questioned them about this all. Looking at their Environment Policy statement and contrasting it with the reality, gives some comical lines about what contractors will say to get big public contracts. For example, BFK is committed to maximising benefits and minimising adverse impacts to the environment and neighbouring communities in delivering Crossrail projects; assess the potential environmental impacts of all operations, and remove or mitigate these risks throughout the design and construction phases; have minimal impact on the environment through our construction activities; and communicate with parties, including the public in an open and honest manner. None of this was done or achieved by BFK in this instance, as it doggedly pushed the lorry option as the only way to move the tunnel segments to the Westbourne Park portal.