river users and local businesses Workshop

Date:        Monday 16th July 2001

Location:            Jarrow Community Centre

1. Attendees:

2. introduction

In August 2001 a major public consultation event took place regarding the proposals for a New Tyne Crossing. This event took the form of a major two-venue exhibition, a series of smaller exhibitions, plus workshops.  The objective of the consultation was to present the chosen immersed tube scheme in an accessible way to the local and wider communities and as many interested parties as possible. 

As well as ensuring that all parties understood the proposals, the consultation exercise provided the public with an opportunity to comment on the proposals and express concerns.  These concerns will be taken into account  (wherever possible and practicable) when finalising the design of the scheme and mitigation measures.  Thus, one of the main purposes of this feedback exercise is to inform the project team and TWPTA about the concerns raised.

This note provides feedback details from the River Users and Local Businesses workshop.  Five workshop groups were arranged, as follows (with dates) separate notes on these groups are available:

It should be emphasised that the views expressed at the Workshop are not necessarily representative of either those who will be affected by a new tunnel, or those who are proposing it.  Moreover, there may be factual inaccuracies in what people have said (this is part of the nature of Workshops), which may be evident in the following factual accounts (we have neither corrected nor drawn attention to these factual inaccuracies).

During the workshop the attendees were split into two groups for discussions.  The results of these discussions are noted separately below.

3. Group Discussion

3.1 River users and local businesses discussion - group one

3.1.1 Jarrow Boat Club

• The Boat Club referred to their own situation and the need for new moorings – ideally they want a permanent situation and the opportunity to provide buildings. The uncertainty is driving away members.  There have been discussions with the PTA about alternative moorings but the current suggestions lack facilities/road access

3.1.2          Need for a new tunnel

• Most of the group (apart from the Anti-Tunnel Alliance representative) were in favour in principle of a new tunnel but all would prefer the bored option owing to worries about the impact of disturbance upon their operations
• The opposite view was that the tunnel was not needed and would lead to other unacceptable consequences, including the need to resurrect the idea of a new link road through the Riverside Park
• The view was expressed that an over-emphasis was being given to costs as the overriding reason for going for the immersed tube option. Already an overlap of the toll range was being predicted, plus the toll could be kept lower from the bored tunnel option by different financing arrangements, for example by depreciating capital over a longer period. The concessionary period could be extended, which would change the depreciation allowance
• It was also noted that there will be hidden costs, such as environmental and social impacts, and increased congestion on local roads, plus the need to construct other roads

3.1.3          Effect on local leisure activities

• Bede’s World Museum visitor numbers have been badly affected by the foot and mouth outbreak.  They are concerned that the disruption to access could badly hit visitor numbers again. They want to ensure that all access roads remain open during construction and the opportunity taken to improve signage to the Museum

3.1.4          AMEC Yard

• The AMEC representative noted that the Howdon Basin (or gut) is a unique feature (as an off-river basin adjacent to a heavy loading quay) that would be affected; they are concerned that future use of the ‘jack-up’ rig facility could cause safety problems to the immersed tube tunnel

3.1.5          Jarrow Riverside Park

• There are issues around Jarrow Riverside Park and current problems with vandalism and drug use.  Re-instatement should be seen as an opportunity to ‘design out’ these problems, for example by the removal of trees and shrubs and places to hide. A different view expressed was that the Park could still be kept beautiful with flowers and other design features to ensure aesthetics

3.1.6          Tunnel safety

• The issue was raised of safety and speed limits; there were concerns that faster speeds in the tunnel will also lead to faster speeds on approach roads leading to increased possibilities of accidents.  There needs to be good police enforcement plus CCTV and other suitable measures

3.1.7          Local employment

• The construction phase should be seen as a major opportunity to create jobs and improve the local economy; it could actually pump lots of money into the region. It is important that consideration is given to ways in which local labour market will benefit.
• Reference was made to the need to build major new developments on the south side of the Tyne to create employment in areas of high unemployment, but the issue of green belt and restrictions on site availability were also raised

3.1.8          Strategic approach

• There is the wider issue of the need for a more strategic approach, particularly the need for more efforts to encourage a modal split in line with recent studies

3.2  River users and local businesses discussion - group two

3.2.1          Bored tunnel

• A bored tunnel would be better; the immersed tube option ‘sterilises’ the AMEC yard during and affects it badly after construction
• For Rohm & Haas, a bored tunnel would be less disruptive generally but the method of construction is not a significant issue; the more significant issue is minimum disruption to the supply chain (that is, the need for round the clock uninterrupted and continuous access to and from Rohm & Haas for deliveries by HGV’s)  
• The Jarrow Motor Boat Club would prefer the bored option, as it wouldn’t affect them at all

3.2.2          Construction risks of a bored tunnel

• AMEC questioned whether the bored tunnel option is more ‘risky’ than the immersed tube as they took the view that 90% of any risks in the construction of a bored tunnel can be ‘engineered out’
• Boring requires extra length and depth, there is a need to go deeper in the ground under the river thus increasing the length of the tunnel and therefore costs.  This option would have less impact on Jarrow

3.2.3          Toll charges

• It could be that toll charges end up being higher than anticipated with the immersed tube option if ‘snags’ are encountered during construction
• It will be important to ensure in the concession document that toll charges incorporate concessions, season tickets, reductions and so on; they need imagination and innovation in pricing, application, toll collection and technology

3.2.4          Jarrow Boat Club

• There are issues around where the Club should move to during construction; Viking Industrial Park is a possibility; there is a current blight on the Club and membership has declined over the last year with only 13 full members currently (there is a potential maximum of 19)
• It has been agreed that the Club will continue to talk to the PTA directly to discuss re-location temporarily or permanently

3.2.5          Pedestrian tunnel

• The pedestrian tunnel will be kept open during construction; there is a need to improve access to and egress from the pedestrian tunnel on both side
• There is a need to bring buses nearer to the pedestrian tunnel to encourage usage and offer security to users, particularly on the south side in the Riverside Park
• Rohm & Haas employees use the pedestrian tunnel to avoid toll charges on the existing tunnel and because parking facilities are limited on the south side – parking needs to be improved on both sides
• Rohm & Haas have a reciprocal agreement with a firm on the north side allowing both to use the others secure parking because of problems with security and vandalism in the existing public parking areas on both sides

3.2.6          Riverside Park

• The Riverside Park needs redeveloping; it should be opened up and drug users removed; in particular, the area from Ferry Street to the tunnel entrance needs opening out and the whole area around the tunnel entrance needs visible management and ‘policing’.

3.2.7          Disruption during construction

• Account must be taken of the impact of services disruption during construction, for example to power cables and drainage
• It will be important to give maximum notification of works - how long, the nature and type of disruption, and so on
• Rohm & Haas needs Chaytor Street open at all times for HGV access – this should be an obligation under the contractual agreement with the Concessionaire (it may involve a ‘bailey bridge’)
• The tunnel will constrict use of the AMEC yard after construction – the use of the ‘gut’ will be restricted for ‘jack-up’ barges which will have to moor along the river frontage.  This will restrict use of the heavy loading quay
• In terms of how long it will take to construct the new tunnel, the shorter the better
• Rohm & Haas no longer use their deep water loading jetty and are decommissioning it

3.2.8          Employment

• STEP (South Tyneside Enterprise Partnership) is generally happy with the proposals for a new tunnel, there being limited land opportunities in South Tyneside for business and industrial development, therefore limited opportunities for employment and enterprise
• The difficulties in using the existing tunnel acts as a disincentive to employment on the north side for residents on the south side 
• There are large areas of available land on the north side and on-going development
• Construction of the tunnel units for an immersed tube tunnel should be carried out locally if possible, although there may be problems in doing this in terms of European competition laws – could the criteria for awarding the contract be formulated to encourage local tendering?
• The view is that local construction and employment is important but cannot be imposed as part of tender documentation (it would be necessary to have a purpose built dry dock for construction of the units, which could be done locally)
• It will be important that the bid process is transparent      
• The units could be either concrete or steel construction (there are facilities on the Tyne, Tees and Wear)
• Local training courses should be considered to make local people more employable on the construction of the scheme, is there a possibility that the PTA could work with local training providers to achieve this?

3.2.9          Impact on roads

• The ‘Stephenson Link’ (a guided bus system from Royal Quays to Backworth on the north side) should assist in traffic management and increase use of public transport  
• Also on the north side, consideration of the impact on Tyne View Terrace is important; would it be possible to downgrade the roundabout south of East Howdon and improve the roundabout at the tunnel?
• AMEC will need a new access off Tyne View Terrace during construction, as the other side of their site will be unusable during construction

3.2.10      Public transport

• Buses need prioritising on both side of the existing and new tunnels at toll booths and along the A19
• The rate of passage through the tunnel(s) needs to be quicker, by imaginative use of tolls and other means
• A bus lane would need to start further back from tunnel, such as at the bus station on the south side

3.2.11      Environmental impact

• The Environment Agency is involved in ensuring controls which minimise contamination during dredging
• An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been done in accordance with European directives; this will be published when application is made for the TWA Order
• The Environment Agency and Arup will be meeting the fishing lobby separately to discuss issues/impacts
• A sewerage works outlet crosses the river and sewage flows up river to settle on the jetty at Rohm & Haas; as silt is disturbed it will also settle at the same place
• The contaminants do not appear to be as bad as thought from initial surveys.

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