Sadia lobbies charities for the campaign

 Very well done to Sadia for writing to

- friends of the earth;

- british lung foundation;

- client earth;

- clean air;

- environmental protection;

- global action plan; and

- green alliance.

the email below. let's hope we can get some support in due course

                                                                                                                                 





                            



21/06/2020

URGENT

Dear Sirs,



Re: concerns around growing air pollution levels      



I write this letter due to concerns around air pollution in my local borough which I hope you may be able to assist with. I have carried out copious amounts of research online to try and find the charities that would be best placed to assist in this matter, and your name has arisen several times.



I reside in the London Borough of Redbridge, and in particular Goodmayes, which is already an overpopulated and dense community. In the last decade the population in Redbridge has increased by around 5,000 (according to the London Borough of Redbridge website). It is the 11^th largest borough in London (as recorded in 2015). It is a community which is clearly suffering from high and dangerous levels of air pollution due to an increased number of high rise flats and congestion leading to more cars on the road.



I attach a table below showing the increasing population and density in Goodmayes:

Name	Status	Population Census 2001-04-29	Population Census 2011-03-27	Population Estimate 2018-06-30
Goodmayes	Ward	11,350	13,585	15,160
Area: 1.78 km² – Density: 8,506/km² [2018] – Change: +1.52%/year [2011 → 2018]
London	Region	7,172,091	8,173,941	8,908,081

Source: UK Office for National Statistics (web).

I also attach a small section of ‘Redbridge Characterisation Study’ carried out by London Borough of Redbridge, which refers to population density:

“The main areas with wide neighbourhoods comprising densities of over 60 dwellings per hectare exist in South Ilford, along the railway corridor (Ilford to Chadwell Heath) and in the west of the Borough around South Woodford and Snaresbrook.

The area of highest density exists along the High Road between Ilford and Seven Kings where there is a concentration of relatively new high rise apartment blocks. These apartments have been delivered as part of the Borough’s strategy for accommodating growth on well connected sites in support of accessible centres.

The map shows some surprising pockets of high density development in seemingly remote areas. These correlate with the presence of some of
the Borough’s estate development, such as the Orchard Estate, Broadmead Road, Woodford.”

We have recently been made aware that a developer has made a request to build a block of flats (consisting of around 1200 flats) in our area. Not very far from the areas in the above transcript. This will be a high rise block which will be placed above a Tesco and next to a station, which will increase pollution threefold. The increased number of cars, fuel and appliance usage due to the increased number of population (which could be in the region of 3,600 more people based on an average of a 3 person household) will only worsen the already dire pollution levels.



Myself and many other members of the community are incredibly concerned about the impact a block of flats of this size will have on the already high levels of air pollution in the area (amongst other things). What is worse, the local schools in the area are already suffering from high levels of air pollution which of course causes us grave concern. I myself have 2 young children and through research have discovered that their school has a shockingly high level of air pollution. This is something nobody would wish for their family especially their children and more so for those children that already suffer from breathing difficulties. I have come across countless reports of children dying from asthma caused as a result of pollution in the air.



Worse still- we have come to be aware that 6 separate air quality reports were prepared by the developers. This of course is very concerning, as the need to have made report after report can only indicate that there really is something quite discerning happening and that something is being hidden. We have requested that these reports be made available and have tried to find out why so many were produced, but as of yet, the developers have failed to co-operate with us. In fact, all we have received is a brief outline of what their report states. 



In relation to the same, I have attached 2 air quality reports with this letter which show the exact amount of air pollution in the area. In particular, I bring to your attention the Jan 2020 report and sections: 



a - at page 11 where Chadwell Primary and other schools are mentioned;

b - at page 12 where Chadwell is listed as being over the safe limit. (bear in mind these are annual averages, so the 10pm through to 5am low traffic means the school run pollution is even higher);

c - The 2019 report lists 0.8% increase to toxic NO2 pollution on an annual basis, but no attempt is made to estimate the impact of the extra traffic during the school and school hours. This appears a serious omission due to the number of schools nearby and a proposed school being built. The toxic NO2 pollution increase seems bound to be higher at these school opening times than the 0.8%.



This shows why it is essential to produce our own air quality report- in order to place us in a position to challenge the above reports.



I am also attaching the judgement of (1) Gladman Court of Appeal Case No: C1/2017/3475 which we are hoping to rely on in order to stop this monstrosity being made and a leaflet that will be shortly distributed. However, we are aware that this alone will not be enough, and are therefore fundraising in order to be able to raise enough money to hire a professional to produce our own air quality report. We still have a long way to go in order to have enough money to hire a specialist but the local residents are tirelessly fundraising all the time.  



Our efforts are not however going in vain – a local Cllr, Mr Jas Athwal, announced on 18th June that Redbridge Council would commission the cumulative impact of several developments on air quality. So we are positive that we can make an impact.  



We have reached out to you in the hope that you can offer us some form of assistance in this matter. A decision is shortly due to be made and we are desperate to protect the lives of our community. Any help you can offer (financial or otherwise), will be highly appreciated. Please feel free to contact me for further information.



I look forward to hearing from you.



Kind Regards   



Sadia Ahmed