1) Consultants appointed to check Tescos Environmental Statement 2) NO2 Filter

 1) consultants appointed to check Tescos Environmental Statement

 Thank you to the resident who sent me the 20.7.20 email below from Cllr Jas Athwal, the Leader of Redbridge Council. Although I would prefer Jas to speak out against the proposal, it is welcome that he has goes into detail about the application.

The final paragraph has the news that Redbridge has appointed consultants to test the  Tesco Environmental Statement. I have asked Jas these questions on twitter

"Who are these consultants? When do they report to the Council? Will report be made public? & when were consultants commissioned?"

As yet no reply, I might raise issue with Jas at cabinet this evening. Email is below.

In the meantime, the following information may be of assistance to you:

1.      The site is a development Opportunity Site (OS67) located on the Crossrail Corridor Investment and Growth Area as identified in the Council’s adopted Local Plan. Advice on the interpretation of density can be found in the GLA’s Housing SPG.  As part of the planning process, the proposal will be interrogated against the standards set out in the above Housing SPG, and to establish whether the scheme achieves an appropriate residential density relative to the site location and its proximity to Crossrail Infrastructure. Going forward, it should also be noted that within the emerging London Plan, the density matrix (absolute numbers) is proposed to be removed and the focus will then be on design-led development. 

2.      The proposal includes the provision for a new 3 Form Entry Primary school to be delivered on-site to meet both on and off site local need.  Furthermore, the development would be liable for Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions and health care facilities are included on the Council’s Regulation 123 list (i.e. the development may result in a contribution towards improved health infrastructure).

3.      If planning permission is granted, the development will be subject to a detailed Construction Logistics Plan (construction phase), to ensure disruption to the surrounding road network and its operation is kept to a minimum.   Impacts arising from traffic during the operation phase of any development is a material planning consideration. The Tesco application is supported by a Transport Assessment which, among other things, considers matters such as bus routes and emergency vehicles.  These matters, including all highways relates matters arising from the scheme, are subject of ongoing discussions between officers, Transport for London  (TfL), and the applicant team to ensure the scheme is sustainable in highways terms.

4.      Should planning permission be granted, and before the scheme can be implemented, the  development will have to comply with Building Control Regulations.  For fire matters, in particular, the scheme will have to comply with the requirements of Schedule 1 Part B of the Regulations relating to the following areas: Means of Warning and Escape; Internal Fire Spread (Linings); Internal Fire Spread (Structure); External Fire Spread; and Access and Facilities for the Fire Service.  As a result of the tragic events at Grenfell, changes to Regulation 7  (external wall construction) were introduced by the Building (Amendment) Regulations 2018 and make prescriptive requirements for the external wall materials such that where buildings are greater than 18m these materials shall be of European Classification A2-s1, d0 or A1, classified in accordance with BS EN 13501-1:2007+A1:2009. This Regulation is applicable to the Tesco proposals. The above matters would be covered at Building Regulations stage.  At planning application stage, the dimensions of the upper and lower level public realm spaces are such that emergency vehicles can access each part of the site in the case of an emergency. This is in accordance with draft NLP D11: fire safety.  The London Fire Brigade advises that they are satisfied with the proposals in relation to the firefighting access arrangements.

5.      The Tesco application is an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) application. The aim of the EIA is to protect the environment by ensuring that a local planning authority, when deciding whether to grant planning permission for a planning application which is likely to have significant effects on the environment, does so in the full knowledge of the likely significant effects, and takes this into account in the decision-making process.   The Tesco Environmental Statement  (ES) considers a range of environmental topics, including the important topic of air quality. The ES is currently being independently assessed by Council appointed consultants to test the soundness of the Statement. The Tesco application, including the ES and its findings and recommendations and mitigation strategy with regards to air quality and NO2, is still under consideration, but will be reported, and responded, to in the future planning committee report.

2) NO2 Filter

The pic below is from https://planningdocs.redbridge.gov.uk/NorthgatePublicDocs/00685122.pdf which is the the Health Impact assessment dated October 2019 for the Tesco Goodmayes development site written by Weston Homes. Minded to ask Jas if the report Redbridge has commissioned per the above can give the pro and cons of mechanical ventilation verses NO2 filters. I hope the development is stopped, but if it goes ahead must be right to have the best form of mitigation to limit the damage to child health by building so close to a busy road with vehicles producing toxic emissions.