• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, when they looked at this, also seemed to think that the thing is a shambles but it is going to take a very long time, I guess, for these structural changes to take place. I think that what people in London want to see is that this is going to be an attractive place to live. The numerous bodies who are connected with delivering the Thames Gateway do not seem to be making a great deal of progress on making this a desirable place to live and indeed the evidence that we have...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

You will be aware that it is suggested that Judith Armitt felt herself undermined by ministers. In particular that Yvette Cooper ripped up the original draft of the Gateway Plan. Were you or your officers consulted by the Government on this fairly dramatic change to the plan, as one of the parties?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

You have told us that the great catalyst which has transformed this from just 40,000 homes to 100,000 homes is Crossrail. However, you are proposing that the 100,000 homes should be built by 2016. The current completion date for Crossrail is 2017. That is on the assumption it is actually built on time. How do you square those two dates?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

Well, indeed. You are really a sort of Old Moore as far as that is concerned. One of the important infrastructure projects that you have fancied having there has been the new bridge, the Thames Gateway Bridge. What are the prospects for that?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

The other bit that has been raised by Sir Stuart Lipton, [Former Chairman, Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment] with whom I think you have had reasonable relations with in the past, is the concern about the infrastructure, going back to Tony's [Arbour] point, that the plans as currently drafted will create cheap and isolated estates. Now that is not what you want or what we want. What guarantee have you managed to get from Government that we will avoid falling into that pit, which is what has happened in the past?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

The real position is that you may build those homes but there is not going to be any infrastructure for them. You are incredibly optimistic about Crossrail. On the other hand I have never known you not to be optimistic about anything.

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

Were you consulted about Judith Armitt's departure from the role of Chief Executive of the Gateway?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

I will not comment, Chair, on the future or otherwise of the UDC. That is a matter to be discussed in whatever place. First, Mayor, would you join with me in inviting and welcoming Tony Arbour to come on a visit of the Thames Gateway to see what is happening on the ground there. Contrary to all the doom-laden headlines and the prejudices of people like himself who live in a far flung western fringe of London, there is an awful lot going on in the Gateway, as you have already outlined. Would you join with me in celebrating, for...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

Semi-detached homes with garages are not terrible automatically.

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

What about the fact that a lot of people in London want family homes with gardens? They do not want all-singing all-dancing bits of urban infrastructure everywhere.