Thurrock Air Quality
If you had the pleasure of attending Thurrock Council’s Presentation Evening (Held at the Tilbury Cruise Terminal). You would have heard Ian Wake (Director of Public Heath) present hard hitting facts regarding Thurrock’s Air Quality.
You may be wondering what our air quality could be like after Option C has been installed?
Watch this short video clip where Ian Wake shares with us the current air quality situation of Thurrock. He highlights how Tilbury is deemed ‘the worst’ area in Thurrock for Chest & Breathing related illness… and there you was thinking West Thurrock was worse!
Our Questions
Highways England should provide factual Environmental data, highlighting their expected increase in air quality across the Dartford and wider Thurrock Regions using recently collected data. Then projected to show expected port & industrial traffic volume impact, with a 50 year prediction.
We believe Option C will further degrade air quality across the region, culminating burden where all three options cross the Thames at Tilbury marshes and the two huge intersections set in conservation areas of Orsett & Horndon on the Hill.
Highways England claim only 14% of M25 traffic ‘may’ consider using a route of Option C. Therefore, still not fully addressing a reduction below the claimed 135,000 capacity for the current Dartford crossing. If a road of serious financial magnitude (£6bn) was to be installed, is 14% really enough?
Taking into account areas around our existing port of Tilbury, the air is way below EU Standards (Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) 40µg M³) on a daily basis! Driving a road through already over polluted areas will only make our situation a whole lot worse. What is Highways England doing to help reduce this already polluted area of the Borough with this road proposal?
We collectively pose a challenge to our Government via our MPs, our Councillors, and you our Friends, Family and Neighbours.
Please put pen to paper and raise the question…
“With Thurrock’s air already saturated with pollutants beyond EU guidelines, what is the Government doing to help us breathe clean air. When will the health and well being of Thurrock be put before growth and prosperity of the wider country?”
For some background information, Matt Jackson has collated a list of links you may wish to review.
Here’s a link to the EU Air Quality Standards. You may be shocked to read, they monitor a whole raft of air pollutants, including PM10 & PM 2.5, Nitrogen Dioxide, Sulphur Dioxide, Ozone, Arsenic, Lead and a whole lot more!
Here’s The EU’s Air Quality Q&A blog
This is a very useful page with all current info on Thurrock and areas currently under observation ‘AQM’
Air quality has been well documented in the local press. This Thurrock Gazette article from Feb 2014 discusses how Thurrock is a ‘Pollution Hotspot’
BBC News, ran an article about how the government have been challenged by a group of Environmental Lawyers – Read more about that here > BBC NEWS
Another BBC page shows how the Essex area is constantly tipping over EU limits
With our Borough already blighted by industry, is there room for even further expansion of our ports and deep seated industry. Consider, if they continue to use road haulage methods what will the consequences be for us who live here?
Check out our blog for more info related to The Lower Thames Crossing.