Asbestos survey report for Westminister tube station

The request was successful.

Dear Transport for London,
Please would be possible to see the asbestos survey report for Westminster tube station?

Yours faithfully,

Louis smith

FOI, Transport for London

 

 

Dear Mr Smith

 

TfL Ref 0422-2021/22

 

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 29
May 2021 asking for information about the Westminster tube station
asbestos survey.

 

Please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this
current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited
resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other
essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response
time may be impacted by the current situation and so you may wish to
reconsider the timing of this request. Please notify us as soon as
possible if you would like to withdraw your request at the current time.

 

Should you wish to proceed with the request we will aim to issue a
response by 28 June 2021 in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act
2000 and our information access policy.

 

We publish a substantial range of information on our website on subjects
including operational performance, contracts, expenditure, journey data,
governance and our financial performance. This includes data which is
frequently asked for in FOI requests or other public queries. Please check
[1]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.

 

We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the
[2]www.tfl.gov.uk website. We will not publish your name and we will send
a copy of the response to you before it is published on our website.

 

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Sara Thomas

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

 

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FOI, Transport for London

5 Attachments

 

Dear Mr Smith

 

TfL Ref 0422-2021/22

 

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 29
May 2021 asking for information about the Westminster tube station
asbestos survey.

 

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Environmental Information Regulations and our information access
policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require.

 

Attached are targeted asbestos survey reports that did not identify the
presence of any asbestos containing materials, a summary of the known or
suspected hazardous material at Westminster station and the identification
report of the only known asbestos containing materials in the station.

 

As a result of the major reconstruction work needed for the Jubilee line
extension, the majority of the original Westminster station was demolished
in the 1990s with the station material removed and disposed of. As a
result, we know the materials that were used in the construction of the
majority of the station and have records that there is no asbestos
present. We also used the opportunity to remove asbestos from the areas of
the station that were not demolished, which means there are very few areas
that asbestos could be present in Westminster station. As a result, a full
station asbestos survey is not necessary, and instead we have carried out
targeted surveys and the only identified asbestos is in a small number of
bitumen ducts in a non-public area. We have long-established procedures
for safely managing asbestos identified on the network and in this case,
periodic re-inspection of these ducts form part of our asbestos
re-inspection programme. The frequency of re-inspection is determined by
the level of risk of disturbance of any given item of asbestos containing
material, combined with the material type. These ducts are bituminous,
which means the potential for fibre release is low. They are also encased
in concrete, with only the edges of the duct exposed, which further
reduces the risk. The ducts are due to be re-inspected this year.

 

 

Please note that in accordance with TfL’s obligations under the Data
Protection legislation some personal data has been removed, as required by
Regulation 13 of the Environmental Information Regulations. This is
because disclosure of this personal data would be a breach of the
legislation, specifically the first principle of the legislation, which
requires all processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. It would
not be fair to disclose this personal information when the individuals
have no expectation it would be disclosed and TfL has not satisfied one of
the conditions of Schedule 2 which would make the processing ‘fair’.

 

Please also note that we have redacted some station layout drawings /
photographs contained in the attachments as these contain information
which could adversely affect national security or public safety (in line
with regulation 12(5)(a) of the Environmental Information Regulations –
which includes an exception to the release of material that would
adversely affect the security of public buildings). The redacted
information contains drawings / photographs showing the station layout and
the location of and access into, non-public areas of the station and their
release could place members of the public and TfL staff at risk by
highlighting areas on the network which could be susceptible to being
targeted by individuals intent on causing disruption or harm to the London
Underground network.

 

In this instance the exception has been applied as disclosure of this
information could assist any persons wishing to disrupt London’s transport
infrastructure by placing into the public domain information which would
otherwise not be available via other means. Whilst we make no suggestion
that you would use this information for anything other than you own
interest, disclosure of information under the EIR has to be regarded as a
disclosure to the public at large.

 

The application of exception 12(5)(a) has been subject to consideration of
the ‘Public Interest Test’ (in essence, consideration of whether the
greater public interest lies in applying the exception or in releasing the
material in any case). While we appreciate the expectation of transparency
from public bodies, in this instance we consider that the greater public
interest rests in withholding the excepted material (which is relatively
limited) to ensure the security of the site.

 

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable
to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to
appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would
like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Sara Thomas

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

 

 

 

TfL RESTRICTED

From: FOI
Sent: 02 June 2021 09:49
To: 'Louis' <[1][FOI #761128 email]>
Subject: new foi 0422-2122 CRM:0138109

 

 

 

Dear Mr Smith

 

TfL Ref 0422-2021/22

 

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 29
May 2021 asking for information about the Westminster tube station
asbestos survey.

 

Please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this
current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited
resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other
essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response
time may be impacted by the current situation and so you may wish to
reconsider the timing of this request. Please notify us as soon as
possible if you would like to withdraw your request at the current time.

 

Should you wish to proceed with the request we will aim to issue a
response by 28 June 2021 in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act
2000 and our information access policy.

 

We publish a substantial range of information on our website on subjects
including operational performance, contracts, expenditure, journey data,
governance and our financial performance. This includes data which is
frequently asked for in FOI requests or other public queries. Please check
[2]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.

 

We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the
[3]www.tfl.gov.uk website. We will not publish your name and we will send
a copy of the response to you before it is published on our website.

 

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Sara Thomas

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

 

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