Tuesday 20 March 2018

So what's new on Air Quality & what has changed regarding Ipswich's expansion, development proposals, CREST's (and Mersea Homes) renewed Planning Applications, to address Air Pollution risk?

Answer-Nothing much which will resolve difficulties in Ipswich.

In fact, currently there is evidence of further  measured deterioration of Air Quality in Ipswich (NOx) and worryingly high estimates of harming particulates.

The Supreme Court has determined the continued UK's failure of legal compliance with the EU Air Pollution Directive, which effectively renders DEFRA's guidance to Local Authorities "unfit for purpose" and therefore, we say local evidence is unfit for purpose and inadmissible. 

Royal Courts of Justice Wednesday, 21st February 2018
High Court ruling on remedies in ClientEarth's third clean air case against the UK government.

 Extract;

"2. Four matters remain in dispute. First, the terms of the declaratory relief. In my view, it is necessary for the sake of clarity to set out in full the respects in which the 2017 Plan was unlawful, as I have done in the judgment. It follows that I prefer the claimant's formulation on declaratory relief rather than the summary form offered by the Secretary of State."
"
12. Here I am faced, despite the substantial progress that has been made, with a continuing failure by the government to meet its obligation to reduce air pollution. As I pointed out in the judgment in this case, it is now eight years since compliance with the 2008 Directive should have been achieved and the 2017 Air Quality Plan is the third unsuccessful attempt the government has made at devising a plan which complies with the Directive and the domestic regulations. All the while, the health of those living in the towns and cities of this country is at real risk." 

NB. Ipswich's last Action Plan on Air Quality is dated 2008.
"In December 2016, Ipswich Borough Council re-commenced automatic (continuous) nitrogen dioxide monitoring after a 2 year hiatus." ie two year data gap!

SCC Public Health seems to support our concerns.
 https://www.healthysuffolk.org.uk/jsna/reports/jsna-topic-reports/air-quality


Cross-party MPs demand urgent action to deal with UK “air quality catastrophe”


"Four select committees have released the findings of a joint inquiry into UK air quality, calling for a series of measures to address illegal pollution. It is a humiliating read for the UK government.
Responding to the report, ClientEarth Head of Public Affairs Simon Alcock said: “We are delighted that this landmark report from a cross-party group of MPs has called on the government to urgently take further action to fix the dangerous air pollution in our towns and cities. It highlights the lack of national leadership by successive governments to tackle this public health crisis – it was supposed to be resolved over eight years ago."
So things are definitely not sorted yet........
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The 2017 transcript of SOCS statement on the CREST Application at the Planning committee February 2017 below suggests why residents still feel that this application should not be determined nor go to committee until Ipswich has sorted out it's  new "Action Plan" on Air Pollution;





A relevant and related Application 
 
"Amended Planning Application IP14/00638/OUTFL as amended April 2017 Land To South Of Railway Line, Westerfield Road, Ipswich, Suffolk
SOCS wish their response to 16/00638/OUT be recorded as an Unreserved Objection. 

SOCS OBJECTIONS :Air Quality (and Climate Change Agenda) - AIR POLLUTION and adverse health impacts are SOCS key concern

SOCS representing the lay public, felt  expert opinion was necessary in order to to qualify their concerns and criticisms from Dr Benjamin Barratt Lecturer 6in Air Quality Science and Roger Richards7 former Principal Engineer with Ricardo Consulting Engineers. 

Dr Barratt confirmed the legal requirements that no existing LAQMA should be further adversely impacted by further developments.

Mr Richards states, “I’ve read through the IBC (WSP)AQ report. It’s very poor. Here’s a summary of the main flaws in the document (5 points -See Appendix F).....Any one of these failings would render the report unreliable. Taken together they render it completely meaningless.” 

The WSP Reports suggest there is only a “moderate” predicted problem regarding traffic impacts and air quality. We can’t see this to be the case. We do not trust the “reassurances” contained in the reports. The experts above agree there are causes for concern.
SOCS believe Air Pollution impacts to be critical to our local area and local population.
We believe they are an uncomfortable truth which is currently at risk of being “buried”.
Future expansion of Ipswich

No Public Health Impact Assessment study from traffic and air quality has been done of the proposed expansion despite being requested by us.




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