ECISION OF THE FIRST SECRETARY OF STATE AND SECRETARY OF
STATE FOR TRANSPORT NOT TO VARY THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE FOR THE
THAMES GATEWAY BRIDGE INQUIRY
Date: 17 May 2005
Dear Sir/Madam
THAMES GATEWAY BRIDGE –
PUBLIC INQUIRY 7 JUNE 2005 AT CHARLTON ATHLETIC FOOTBALL
CLUB
1. Further to notifications you have been sent about the
above Inquiry and associated meetings held, we are writing to advise you
that, for reasons given below, the First Secretary of State and the
Secretary of State for Transport (“the Secretaries of State”) have decided
not to vary the date, time and place for the Inquiry. The Inquiry will open,
as previously announced, on Tuesday 7 June 2005.
Pre-Inquiry Meeting/Further Procedural Meeting (4 and
28 April 2005)
2. Following a further procedural meeting held on 28
April the Inquiry Inspector, Mr Michael Ellison, has reported to the
Secretaries of State on the request for postponement of the commencement of
the Inquiry.
3. Having considered the arguments for and against
postponement, the Inspector concludes that the crucial considerations are
that the date of the Inquiry has been known since 25 February 2005; the full
statutory periods of notice for procedures have been given; a postponement
would place avoidable costs on a public authority; but that there needs to
be time available to allow funds provided to objectors to be put to proper
use.
4. The Inspector considers that these circumstances allow
for -
(a) The Inquiry to be opened as planned on 7 June to hear
the cases of the promoters, the supporters, any statutory bodies who object,
any statutory objector, and any non-statutory objector who wishes to proceed
in that first Inquiry session; and
(b) Upon conclusion of that first session, for the
Inquiry to adjourn until 13 September 2005. Remaining non-statutory
objectors should be heard at this reconvened Inquiry session and would in
doing so be allowed further time, until 16 August 2005 under the Inspector’s
revised timetable, in which to provide their proof of evidence. Those
non-statutory objectors would have the option of cross examining the
promoters’ witnesses either immediately after presentation of the promoters’
evidence in chief in the first Inquiry session or alternatively at the time
at which their objection was to be made in the reconvened Inquiry session.
The Secretaries of State Decision on the variation of
the Inquiry Date/
Other Arrangements
5. The Secretaries of State agree with the Inspector in
his views. Therefore, it is decided that the Inquiry date will not be varied
by them, but that the inquiry will commence as scheduled on 7 June 2005. The
Inquiry adjournment will be a matter for the Inspector to
formally announce once the Inquiry is opened. However,
non-statutory objectors who are to opt to be heard in this adjourned
session, rather than the first Inquiry session should be aware of that
intention and of the timetable they need to work to for it. The Secretaries
of State advise, therefore, that the adjourned Inquiry would be intended to
reconvene -
Date: On Tuesday 13 September 2005
Venue: At London Borough of Greenwich, Town Hall,
Wellington Street, Woolwich, London SE18 6PW.
Revised Timetable for delivery of Proofs, documents etc:
This is included as an Annex to this letter (Other than for non-statutory
objectors who are to elect to appear in the reconvened Inquiry session, it
remains as previously notified in the Note of the Procedural Meeting).
6. The Secretaries of State agree also with the Inspector
that, if there is a demand for
