Representation by Stephen Brennan
- Date submitted
- 9 January 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Concerns on proposed project; 1. South Ockendon where I live will be surrounded (if this project goes ahead) by three major arterial roads. This in short will mean we will be exposed to excessive airborn and noise pollution from every direction. 2. Thurrock has high levels of pollution which already exceed legal limits in several areas. With reference to the above; this project (In its present form and route) will make this worse. 3. Thurrock has a higher incidence of childhood asthma than the national average. Again, with referance to point one, this project (in its present form and route ) fails to address this concern. 4. I am Concerned that recent studies show a firm links between chronic respiratory disease and degenerative brain disease such as alzheimers and dementia and road traffic pollution. Current trends within London are to reduce (where possible) road traffic and residents exposure to unnecessary pollution, and I would suggest that this road would be (if current research and data were used and acted on) moved Eastwards away from Thurrock, and Located perhaps, along the route of the A128. 5. I would submit that designers of the project are going for the cheapest option, and this will (apart from the above) not be future proof or give long term value for Money. If we look at the model of the QE2 Bridge, this was (at the time of its inception) mooted as the final solution of the bottle neck of the Dartford Tunnel crossings. As we now know, this was not true and we now find ouselves building yet another road because of this. While accepting the need for another crossing, Surely local residents deserve a proper long term pollution free answer to this problem, and not another blight on our local communities by a short termist budget plan. Cheapest is always dearest in the long term, unfortunately we are not only referring to a financial issue here, but a rather large and looming health time bomb that will be created by this project. 6. I would ask who will be finacially responsible for any illnesses that can and will be directly linked to the pollution caused by the road. The financial burden of extra disease and treatment must be mitigated for, and also, there will be I am sure, fairly substantial compensation claims if the above issues are ignored in spite of the available data and evidence that are now available. 7. In Summary, with all the above taken into consideration I would suggest the overwhelming sensible descision would be to rethink the plan in its current form and route, and not (as it seems to be happening now) railroad it through and create an absolutely avoidable environmental disaster for the local area. How many more avoidable deaths from respiratory disease will it take before planners design road routes that are environmentally responsible and health conscious and really fit for the 21st century, and not just the shortest and cheapest rout between A and B.