This is the text for the leaflet which at the printers now, I expect to have a draft later this week. I agree with Sadia about the C-19 risk from High Rise Towers, can't see how it is possible to socially distance in a lift. Text follows:
stopthetescotoxictowers.blogspot.com
The campaign to stop the Tesco Toxic Towers is growing!
Many thanks to residents for working together to pay for two air quality reports and barrister's fees for legal advice.
Sam Tarry MP says
“I recently wrote to residents in my constituency to seek their views on the Tesco development, as I do not believe this build to be responsibly planned. I received hundreds of responses and an overwhelming opposition to the current proposal. Many highlighted the need for actual services rather than yet more overdevelopment in any open space in Ilford South. It has been made clear repeatedly that this development is ill thought out with little to no consideration for its impact on existing residents, the wider community and the environment, and little thought about the the need for homes that are fit for purpose for residents to live in. Having seen the new proposals I am concerned this development will continue to be pushed ahead with the council making very few changes based on the substantial feedback they have received from Goodmayes residents. As your MP I don’t believe developments like this address the real crises of building homes for those with the greatest need, and put profit before people.”
Keith Prince Assembly Member Havering & Redbridge
I am very concerned how this application is being handled. It appears to me that resident are simply not being listened to and that is never a good thing. I have not seen anything that convinces me that the road network would be able to cope with the traffic. I also feel the scale and scope is excessive and oppose it on those grounds. The residents deserve better.
From Seven Kings Councillor Bob Littlewood
I intend to attend the Planning Committee when the Tesco’s application is decided, to put Seven Kings residents’ views. I am deeply concerned about the scale of this development, the environmental challenges and the low proportion of low rent housing.
Reclaim Redbridge says:
After residents were forced to pay for their own pollution report, Tesco and Weston Homes have made a poor attempt at an "amendment" to their plans. It provides no significant change to the number of units or height of buildings. Ludicrously, the council have given residents 21 days (to mid Oct) to lodge further representations on a 2500 page plan.
This whole planning episode with Tesco has been a farce. The plans should have been better scrutinised by the Council's planning committee and were not worthy of submission to the GLA for a final decision.
The Redbridge planning department need to step on the brakes and look at the damage they are doing by approving planning applications that are below the targeted affordable housing thresholds. Such a vast number of builds in an already densely populated area does not provide a benefit to the community which already houses some of the lowest income and diverse families. The Council is pushing Ilford South into a dangerous place by negatively impacting the physical and mental well being of thousands for generations to come.
Bob Archer Secretary, Redbridge Trades Union Council
Build the kind of homes local people need!
So far, the “developments” planned and built for the Crossrail Corridor in Redbridge are either for sale at prices local people can only dream of paying or at commercial rents which would severely stretch the average family’s budget. No building in Redbridge (or anywhere!) should place the interests of banks and giant construction monopolies first. Any plans for building should start from concern for the potential tenants who will actually live in the homes and the workforce which will actually build them. These have to be the priorities for national and local government planning how to overcome the housing shortage. Only if the true interests of the tenants and construction workers come first will essential matters like service provision and environmental concerns be treated with the significance they deserve.
Paul Scott says
Our local area is suffering enough from the social and environmental effects of all these high density schemes and having this Tesco Goodmayes development will only make matters worse for residents.
From Sadia
As a local resident and a mother of 2 young children I am completely against the tesco towers. I fear that a high rise flat of this nature will impact the already problematic traffic issues we face and worse still, what it will mean for the air quality in the area which is already higher then recommended. In the age of Covid19, and being fully aware that Redbridge has a dangerously high number of cases already, I worry that builds like this will only lead to an increased number of cases and cause us all to be at more risk of catching the dreaded virus. As an asthma sufferer myself whose child also suffers from breathing issues, I have a huge number of concerns of what the impact will have on our heath and many others like us. I do not wish for my children to be bought up in an area where I know they will be inhaling dangerous and toxic pollution and fumes thereby limiting their lives. This area has become completely unrecognisable to that which I moved into 10 years ago. This was an area full of friendly neighbours and family run businesses and now it is being stripped of all its history.
From Andy Walker: Redbridge Trade Union Party
"The threat to the health and well being of our community has been ramped up recently with further developments planned at the Homebase site and the Seven Kings Car park. The help of school governing bodies would be very helpful. Local schools have been written to by the Council seeking their views on the Tesco Development. The local NHS have provided statistics published at the above site showing an increase in child hospital admissions being linked to living by roads. Redbridge Council accept the evidence linking traffic pollution to child ill health and have closed roads by schools and taken other measures to reduce traffic pollution to children.
No school appears to have written to the Council about the Tesco development. This is not surprising given the Coronavirus emergency. However, the views of governing bodies could be crucial in deciding in Councillors voting against the development. If you have a child at one of the local schools it would be much appreciated if you could encourage the Head Teacher to write to the Council objecting to the development on air quality grounds."
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