Day 075 - 17 Jan 95 - Page 17

     
     1        but I am just going back to that 20 per cent of London
     2        street environment/index.html">litter which he did not actually put to Mr. Preston,
     3        but I will put to you:  Would you say that is an accurate
     4        guesstimate of the source of, say, London's street environment/index.html">litter
     5        may have emanated from fast-food emporia, in your
     6        experience, or more or less?
     7        A.  I find it difficult to estimate that.  It would depend
     8        on what locations we were talking about, I think.  It may
     9        well be that in certain parts of London in certain
    10        locations that is true and in others it is not.
    11
    12   Q.   But overall?
    13        A.  In broad terms -- is this by weight or by item?
    14
    15   Q.   I do not know, I am asking you; you are the experienced
    16        person.
    17        A.  By item, it may very well be 20 per cent; by weight,
    18        I would doubt it.
    19
    20   Q.   Then Mr. Rampton asked Paul Preston:  "Do you get a lot of
         complaints about environment/index.html">litter?"  He answered:  "Some surely.  Of
    22        the things that I hear about, may be because of the areas
    23        I get involved with, maybe it is a planning issue where one
    24        of the concerns in granting change of use permission from
    25        something to restaurant, environment/index.html">litter gets raised.  It might be a
    26        casual conversation at social time or at dinner.  That is
    27        probably the one that I hear the most, yes"; in terms of
    28        his hearing of complaints to the company, environment/index.html">litter is the one
    29        that he hears the most.  "Well, it is a problem, is it
    30        not?" Answer:  "It is a serious social problem, no question
    31        of a doubt".
    32
    33        In the Tidy Britain Group do you get enquiries from
    34        residents associations about environment/index.html">litter problems?
    35        A.  By the nature of the organisation, a great deal of our
    36        mail is about environment/index.html">litter problems, yes.
    37
    38   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  You were asked, from residents associations?
    39        A.  Not particularly, my Lord, no.
    40
    MR. MORRIS:  Not particularly in terms of more from them than
    42        from any other sources?
    43        A.  No.
    44
    45   Q.   But are you aware that when there are planning applications
    46        for new fast-food stores that environment/index.html">litter is regularly a concern
    47        of objectors?
    48        A.  Yes.
    49
    50   Q.   Are you aware that that has happened when McDonald's opened 
    51        or plans a new store? 
    52        A.  Not particularly.  I am not particularly aware that it 
    53        is a problem exclusively or particularly for them, but it
    54        is, I know, and it would be surprising if it were not a
    55        concern, but it relates as much to fish and chip shops and
    56        Chinese take-aways as it does to any particular -- I mean,
    57        it is a problem and it is obviously something about which
    58        residents are concerned.
    59
    60   Q.   Right.  So, in your opinion, McDonald's is not any