• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

I will not be inviting Ken to come on a train ride with me I have to tell you! My question is about the Overground, but could I say in passing that we welcome your sudden conversion to recognising the importance of local character when it comes to planning decisions. I have to say that smacks to me a little bit of election timing. I do not recall you standing up for local character when you were encouraging the developers to appeal for the decision on developing Lots Road. We always welcome a sinner who repents, albeit just in time...

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

Can I also take it that for some of the stations that are left open all night, having staff will enable them to be opened in the morning and closed at night?

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

On the Overground of course there is still a missing link in the South West from south London through Brixton to Clapham Junction known as East London Line Phase 2 although it is in south-west London. There is no funding agreement for that yet and there had been talk about waiting for the Comprehensive Spending Review in 2010 but of course we know now that is going to be rather late for an effective rail service in south London, particularly as the upgrading of the Thameslink service at London Bridge will reduce services. Even Network Rail is saying if we...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

Welcome aboard the campaign to support back gardens. Many of us were arguing this long before, so I am always happy to welcome a new recruit. Can I hope that you will use your influence in this regard with those London Labour MPs who blocked two successive Private Members' Bills, one of which I was the sponsor of, by talking them out, which would have given them exactly that protection? I hope you will be able to use your influence there. Can I raise two related points which I hope you will look at as well in that same spirit...

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

Can I start with the launch of the London Overground. Having been at the launch it was a very well attended and very welcome event. I have some stations from the Silverlink line in my constituency in Haringey. Can I have a guarantee that every station will now be staffed? Previously the stations, certainly in my borough, were not.

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

Mayor, I very much agree that the situation of back lot developments, infill developments and replacement of houses is one of those issues where it does not look, on the face of it, strategic but where you get thousands and thousands of decisions adding up it does become strategic because it affects the character of London. One of the issues I would like to suggest that you add in to that conversation about how you can give the boroughs a stronger legal policy framework to make balanced decisions about these things is the issue of conversions. There are some areas...

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

I have to say the area that I represent is under threat all over the place with planning applications coming in right, left and centre for destroying two or three perfectly good family houses with gardens and building blocks of 50 flats. The planning committees have almost no chance whatsoever of having planning grounds to rule them out. What happens then is you destroy the character of the area and create a precedent so that developers say, 'Well you have allowed it there, you must now allow it next door or further on'.

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

From Sunday elders can use this line 24/7 without any restrictions?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

Can I just confirm that you are happy to put it to London Councils that they look at back land strips as well?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

On your joint proposal with London Councils, which I warmly welcome, I am interested in particular with the taking of back gardens because this is a problem throughout London. In the area that I represent, Enfield and Haringey, there are lots of Victorian and Edwardian properties where streets back on to each other. There were little slivers of land left in-between those back gardens ' quite narrow ' but developers are trying to snap up and put in what many residents and I believe is inappropriate housing. I understand there is a tension between the need to build housing but...