Chadwell Primary School objects to the Tesco Development

 Delighted to report that Chadwell Primary School has objected to the Tesco development. Thank you to the Chadwell parent for lobbying the school to support the campaign. We need other schools, trades unions, resident associations and faith groups to come on board too to make our campaign as strong as possible.

The pic below is from the Weston Group Environmental Statement Addendum taken from the Council website. It claims the pollution increase as a consequence of the development is slight. The parents of the pupils at Chadwell might disagree, especially the parents of 42 children suffering from asthma given in the Chadwell letter.

 Letter to Cllr Athwal from Chadwell primary cut and pasted below.

Dear Councillor Athwal,                     

I am writing on behalf of Chadwell Primary School’s governors because we are all extremely concerned about the proposed developments on the site of the Tesco’s store in Goodmayes.  As the Chair of Governors – and a resident of Chadwell Heath – I feel that not enough attention has been paid to the concerns and the welfare of local people and particularly of local children.  Everyone is aware of the need for new housing in London and no-one would deny the difficulties encountered by local government, especially in those boroughs run by Labour councillors attempting to work with a hostile Tory government.  However, it seems patently obvious that the plans for this development lack coherence and are painfully lacking in any awareness of or concern for the needs of the people in the areas surrounding the site. 

Our objections are rooted in the following points/questions:

·       Why is it that a part of the borough that is already severely over-populated is to be asked to accommodate ever-growing numbers – particularly in the context of the recently proposed, adjacent development on the Homebase site and on the car-parks in Seven Kings High Road?

·       Why should our children be asked to suffer the inevitable health crises that will result from the increased levels of pollution that will undoubtedly be caused by the development?  We already have 42 pupils (more than 6% of our population) suffering from asthma and other respiratory diseases and these are bound to be exacerbated by the proposals – particularly when the already dangerously high levels of pollution around the school site are taken into consideration.  At a time when the links between the spread of Covid19 and high pollution levels and population density have been well established, it seems to be counter intuitive to engage on such a project in such an area at such a time.

·       Linked to the last point - how can the inevitably exponential increase in traffic and the obvious congestion on trains not be deemed to be a risk to the health and safety of all local residents?

 

 

 

 

 

·       How will the – already overcrowded - local hospitals be expected to deal with the increase in numbers that will accrue as soon as the first residents move in?  Is it not understood how detrimental this will be to the health and welfare of the existing populace and its children?  King George’s Hospital already suffering with congestion and a lack of staff; what will happen if these new proposals are accepted?

·       Do you really expect a new, three-form entry Primary school to cope with the increased number of pupils?  Chadwell Primary School is already full – with no room for expansion - and can take no more pupils.  What are the educational plans for this untenable scenario? Will increasing numbers of parents be forced to undertake unacceptably long, cross-borough journeys to school with their children – with the inevitable health and safety implications as well as the inconvenience of further traffic congestion?

·       One final, more general question has to be asked: why do there appear to be fewer plans for developments in the more affluent – and “greener” – northern wards of the borough?  I would hate to think that this is because residents in these areas have more influence over the decision-making process and hold more political power than those of us living in the less leafy south.

In general, we feel that this plan – however far it goes to satisfying your housing targets – will have a disastrous impact on the well-being and the quality of life of all the existing members of the local community whom we serve.  It is ill-conceived, badly thought-through and lacking in any consideration for those who will suffer from it.

 

I would urge you to reconsider before it is too late.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

John Hickman (on behalf of the Governing Body at Chadwell Primary School)