• Question by: Unmesh Desai
• Meeting date: 07 March 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Thank you very much. The next question is going to be in the name of Assembly Member Desai, please? Unmesh Desai AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, panel. Firstly, Lord Hendy, can I thank you and your team, including my ex-Newham Council colleague Paul Brickell [Executive Director of Regeneration and Community Partnerships, LLDC], who I believe is retiring soon, for all the work you have done over the last few years. Back in 2016, following disturbances at the London Stadium, the Police [and Crime] Committee did a site visit and took formal evidence from relevant agencies...

• Question by: Andrew Boff
• Meeting date: 07 March 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Thank you. This goes on the clock. Lord Hendy, what do you like about running an MDC?

• Question by: Sem Moema
• Meeting date: 07 March 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Moema, please? Sem Moema AM: Thank you and good morning, panel. My first question is to Gerry. How is the LLDC progressing with its plans to return planning powers to the boroughs by the end of this year? I guess that is in the context of my constituency, Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest, obviously having a clear interest in making sure that that transition works out well.

• Question by: Lord Duvall of Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich OBE
• Meeting date: 07 March 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Duvall, please? Len Duvall AM: One of the successes of your organisation, Lord Hendy, is getting together the stadium issues post the new administration and making it more transparent about what the actual problems were and getting a plan to rectify it. There is still some outstanding business. One of those is the continuing relationship between West Ham Football Club and yourselves and the other franchises and users of the stadium. Can you give us an update on where we are with that conversation and discussions?

• Question by: Marina Ahmad
• Meeting date: 07 March 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Thank you. Assembly Member Ahmad, please? Marina Ahmad AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, panel. Gerry, you painted a really lovely picture of what the East Bank is at the moment and what it is going to be like. When can we expect it to be fully open?

• Question by: Emma Best
• Meeting date: 07 March 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Thank you. Assembly Member Best please. Emma Best AM: Thank you. Good morning, panel. I wanted to turn to the Copper Box Arena. Just recently the contract for the next ten years has been awarded to Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL). I wondered if you could talk a little bit about what you see as the future for the Copper Box Arena for the next ten years as well with the investment that is going to be made.

• Question by: Elly Baker
• Meeting date: 07 March 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Baker, please? Elly Baker AM: Thank you, Chair. My questions are also on Stratford Station. Thank you to Assembly Member Pidgeon for getting an update on where we are in terms of business case and potential upgrading of the station. Just to say, Lord Hendy, I was pleased to hear that you got the Rail Minister down, although being a regular user of Stratford Station, the best thing you could have done is leave him in a corner of Stratford Station and see whether he could find his way to anywhere else and that...

• Question by: Nick Rogers
• Meeting date: 07 March 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Thank you. District heating systems have been raised constantly on this Assembly in the past and in my view, they never work, but still, you better take a few seconds off my timer. Assembly Member Rogers, please? Nick Rogers AM: Thank you, Chair. A question probably for Gerry, but other guests please feel free to chip in. I am thinking back to a site visit that we did maybe a couple of years ago as part of the work of the Budget and Performance Committee. It was very interesting to watch effectively the construction of a...

• Question by: Siân Berry
• Meeting date: 07 March 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Berry, please? Siân Berry AM: Thank you very much, Chair. I also have questions that I hope Lord Hendy might be able to answer. So, Peter, I wanted to pick up on active travel. In May of last year there was a press release from the LLDC that said there was £150 million of investment in walking and cycling to come. It outlined 26 schemes in total. Now, much of this was work that should have been done in the QEOP plans from the start, not added in later, much as the heat networks...

• Question by: Hina Bokhari OBE
• Meeting date: 07 March 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Bokhari, please? Hina Bokhari AM: Thank you, Chair. Lord Hendy, I recently met some residents from the East Village, the former Olympic Village, and many of those residents are key workers, police officers, teachers, nurses, but they continue to live in unsafe flats awaiting an External Wall System One form. In January a First-tier Tribunal (FTT) found in favour of the residents in Triathlon Homes, the ruling found that Get Living [Plc] was liable for the remediation works for five blocks within the East Village. Get Living have since said that they will be...