Asbestos survey for Warren Street station (victoria line)

Dear Mr Smith

TfL Ref 0458-2021/22

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 3 June 2021 asking for information about an asbestos survey for Warren Street underground station.

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 30 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 http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.

We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the 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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Dear Mr Smith

TfL Ref 0458-2021/22

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 3 June 2021 asking for information about an asbestos survey for Warren Street underground station.

Your request is being considered under the terms of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs).

Unfortunately because of its complexity, we will be unable to resolve your request within the initial statutory 20 working day deadline. This is because we are still collating the information we hold.

To enable us to fully consider your request, in accordance with the EIRs we have had to extend the deadline for providing a response to 40 working days from the date we received your request. The amended date for a final response is now 28 July 2021. We are working hard to ensure that you receive a response before this date.

I apologise for the delay and any inconvenience this may cause you. If you have any queries or would like to discuss your request, please do not hesitate to contact me at [TfL request email].

If you are not satisfied with this response, please read the attached help-sheet entitled 'Your Right to Appeal'

Yours sincerely

Sara Thomas
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

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Dear Mr Smith

TfL Ref 0458-2021/22

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 3
June 2021 asking for information about an asbestos survey for Warren
Street underground station.

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.

Please find attached the 2013 full reinspection report for Warren Street
Station along with the recent 2020 reinspection summary.

General Information

Asbestos is found throughout the Underground; in Public Areas the vast
majority of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) are contained behind
station finishes and cannot be accessed by the general public. Where areas
of ACMs interface with the general public they are in a position where
they cause no risk to the general public or staff. All stations accessed
by the public and staff are re-inspected on a periodic basis to ensure
that no adverse damage has been caused to change this status. If it is
assessed and the status has changed for any reason, then a risk assessment
is undertaken which will result in either encapsulation, encasement, or
removal.

We have processes and procedures in place to ensure that the management of
asbestos is carried out in compliance with the Control of Asbestos
Regulations 2012. Some of the main requirements that London Underground
deliver under this regulation are listed below:

o Identify the location and condition of hazardous materials
o Maintain an asbestos register with known, presumed or strongly
presumed asbestos
o Assess and manage the risk of exposure
o Prepare, implement, review & monitor the management plan to manage the
risks
o Regularly inspect known instances of asbestos
o Provide information on the location and condition of the material to
anyone who is likely to disturb it
o Carry out management, refurbishment and / or pre-demolition surveys
when required
o Carry out airborne fibre monitoring where necessary
o Maintain records detailing when and where asbestos is removed, treated
and disposed
o Request and retain Waste Consignment Note upon transportation of
Hazardous Materials to Hazardous Waste Landfill site
o Hold relevant Asbestos Management Qualifications

It is London Underground’s policy to continue to safely manage ACMs
in-situ, through continued management surveys, re-inspections, risk
assessments and pre-work Refurbishment & Demolition (R&D) surveys. We also
carry out airborne fibre monitoring for asbestos as reassurance during
work on or near to asbestos containing materials.

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 several station layout drawings
contained in the attachments as these diagrams contains 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 detailed diagrams 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

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