A Public Inquiry is to be held into TfL's proposal to build the Northern Line Extension

The latest from the DATA Group, an umbrella organisation covering many residents associations in the VNEB area. Contact DATA by email at: vneb.datagroup@gmail.com

VNEB: Development and Transport Action Group
Newsletter Number Ten: 13 October 2013
We are pleased to report that we have been successful in pressing for a Public Inquiry into TfL's proposal to build an NLE. The Public Inquiry will start at 10.00am on Tuesday 19th November 2113 at The Pestana Hotel, 354 Queenstown Road London SW8 4AE

The Inquiry will continue into December, and possibly resume in January. More details are available here: http://www.persona.uk.com/NLE/index.htm.

The Public Inquiry is open to all. If you do want to speak formally, please register with the Programme Officer, Graham Groom as soon as possible. Email: grahamgroom@personaassociates.co.uk and phone: 01403 219899.

DATA has submitted a Statement of Case to the Inquiry and published it on its website: https://sites.google.com/site/vnebdatagrouplondon/

Lambeth Council originally attached robust conditions to its support for the NLE but DATA has heard that they may now not stick to them. You may wish to consider writing to Lambeth Council to encourage them to insist that TfL commits to high standards of environmental impact mitigation, a comprehensive transport strategy and undertakes the necessary security and safety work at Kennington Station before NLE trains to use it. Email: transportplanning@lambeth.gov.uk

As the process of opposition to the NLE proposal has developed, many of the objectors have found common cause to converge their resources and their expertise. An overarching organisation has emerged called the NLE Community Action (NLECA). DATA remains an Affiliated Associate of The Vauxhall Society and available as a wider access point for residents' associations and other groups to challenge TfL's NLE proposal but it is now also associated with the NLECA. The next page of this newsletter gives more details of NLECA.

We are aware that, as our groups are converging, so there is an increasing chance of duplication of information being circulated. This is one of the reasons that we have not sent more frequent updates. From now on, we will publish updates on our webpage rather than circulate them by email. Do please, however, let us know if that will cause you difficulties (for example in forwarding our newsletter to your wider audience if you convene a group) and we will try to find a solution.

Here is the text of a letter from the Chair of the NLE CA addressed to householders whose properties will be directly affected by the NLE. It's general message is, however, relevant for everyone in the area because of the direct and indirect impact the NLE will have:

The new Northern Line Extension (NLE) tunnels will pass underneath all or part of your property and it is
likely that the noise and vibration caused both by its construction and its operation will affect you and your house. Many residents are concerned that Transport for London (TfL) are not taking sufficient steps to mitigate:

• Noise - you may to be subject to 35dB of noise from trains passing continuously from 5am to 1am;
• Vibration and subsidence - your property could suffer 10mm ground settlement

The NLECA is a collective of concerned local civic groups and residents from along the proposed line, that
are challenging a number of key aspects of the NLE proposals, and which want to tie TfL down to mandatory sound and vibration standards.

TfL has employed expert witnesses to keep their options vague at the forthcoming Public Inquiry, which begins on 19 November. Local residents with concerns will also need to protect our interests at the Public Inquiry, but to get our own technical experts will cost money.

Our website https://sites.google.com/site/nleCommunityActionSite/ has more information about this and about what we are doing. Please also feel free to contact me on 07752 401977, Frances Goodchild on
07786 272069 or John Bayley on 07970 541561 for any further information, particularly if you would like to become involved in our work or to offer your support. Our email address is: nle.communityaction@gmail.com

If you can donate to meet the cost of an expert witness, please fill in the details on the next page [full doc here]  and return it with your cheque to the address shown. A relatively small donation now could help prevent a significant amount of disturbance to you and damage to your property.

Yours sincerely,

Donald Stark
Chair, NLE Community Action
52 Claylands Road
London SW8 1NZ

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Here is DATA's statement of case....

20130827 DATA Group StatementOfCase by andreworange