Agenda item

A Member asked about the current situation with Cadent, and what formal work was being done to address it. The Director of the Built Environment responded that central London as a whole was experiencing the same issues as the City due to the age of the gas main network in place. There had been 8 major gas main failures recently, and officers were pushing for the mains to be replaced rather than repaired. However, the Tideway project and potential closure to Embankment could cause delay to this work. A report would be brought to the Planning & Transportation Committee on plans for 2019 when more details about Tideway were known.

A Member reported that on Saturday 11 August 2018 a mass cycling event organised via Facebook had come through the City and had resulted in a number of incidents including pedestrians being hit and intimidated, and asked what officers knew about the incident. The Director of the Built Environment responded that a large anti-knife crime event had been organised, and that a Metropolitan Police escort had been arranged to monitor the event. A Member advised officers that incidents had been reported and received crime numbers. Officers were asked to look into the matter and provide a written response to Members.

A Member requested that officers give an update to Members regarding the delay to the opening of Crossrail. The Director of the Built Environment responded that officers were disappointed about the delays, but it had become clear that although the Crossrail project at Farringdon East was on course to be completed by the original deadline, Liverpool Street/Moorgate was falling behind. In response to a query from a Member, the Director of the Built Environment responded that full funding for the public realm works had been received for Farringdon East and Moorfields, but not for Liverpool Street. The upcoming Transport Strategy would have more information on the impact on buses, as some routes were being taken out.