Draft letter/petition for local schools

 This is a draft of either a petition for parents or letter to go to schools next month. This assumes the application is not heard in early September. Hoping to get some feedback. 

Headteachers at


Barley Lane

Chadwell Primary

Eastcourt

Goodmayes

Chadwell


Dear Headteachers


Consultee Status, Freedom of Information request, Peckham Report and Legal Argument, Impending Legislation & Holst Study


Consultee Status


Barley Lane School is the only school to have been special status by Redbridge Council with regard to the proposed Tesco high rise development, campaigners term the Tesco Toxic Towers. We say all local school should seek consultee status


Our understanding of the consultee status is that, not only will Redbridge write to a consultee, they expect the consultee to report back to Council and crucially are likely to include to include the views of the governing body to Councillors on the planning committee on the night the decsion is made.


Should the majority of schools come out against the development are at the very least call for the publication of the cumulative impact report promised by Cllr Athwal at the June Cabinet it may influence Councillors to vote against the development. We do not have a date for the application to be heard, although earlier this year we told it would be hear this summer.


Freedom of Information Request


Under Freedom of Information law we seek:


  1. The number of children with asthma inhalers at your school

  2. The numbers of Children with asthma care plans


Both of the above for the academic year plan 2019/20


Peckham Report and Legal Argument


We attach Prof Peckham's report on the Tesco Development. Prof Peckham's evidence was accepted over the developers in the Gladman court of Appeal judgment, the first in England. Legal argument as to why the Council should not go ahead is also attached. Local residents clubbed together to fund this work which may be helpful to your governing body should you wish.


Impending Legislation & Holst Study


A 19th August update on the Environment bill here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environment-bill-2020/10-march-2020-air-quality-factsheet-part-4 suggests the UK government is likely to reduce PM targets. I quote


“The air quality part of the Bill:

  • introduces a duty to set an ambitious legally-binding target for fine particulate matter, the pollutant of most concern for human health, in addition to a further long-term air quality target - these will deliver significant public health benefits

  • establishes a clear framework for local action and collaboration on air pollution

  • creates a simpler mechanism for local authorities to tackle smoke emissions – a source of fine particulate matter

  • provides the government with new powers to enforce environmental standards for vehicles

    How will we do it?

The Bill introduces a duty on the government to set two air quality targets by October 2022:

  • the first is to reduce the annual average level of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in ambient air - this will deliver substantial public health benefits”


Holst Study published in the British Medical Journal on 19th August 2020


This study is a very recent one in a long list of articles linking air pollution to damaging child health. A key extract from the study is:


Exposure to particulate matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5) and ≤10 µm (PM10) and nitrate was associated with an increased risk of asthma and persistent wheezing, with hazard ratios per 5 µg/m3 increase in pollutant concentrations 1.05 (1.03 to 1.07) for PM2.5, 1.04 (1.02 to 1.06) for PM10, and 1.04 (1.03 to 1.04) for nitrogen dioxide. Only the positive association of PM2.5 with asthma and persistent wheezing remained robust across the different models and in sensitivity analyses.


The Aether Air Quality October 2019 report commissioned for Tescos predicts more a PM2.5 of more than 10 µg/m3 at page 21. Page 23 of the report accepts PM2.5 is above the World Health Organisation limit, a limit that the UK limit may well be incorporating into law. Page 33 of the report accepts air pollution will increase at the development site if it goes ahead.


It is clear that the air pollution needs to fall in our area rather than increase and we hope you will discuss this issue at your next governing body.


Regards




















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