Greenwich Green Party has continued to resist plans for a polluting new tunnel in Greenwich.
The prospect of a new road tunnel to link the Greenwich Peninsula and Silvertown has been worrying Greenwich residents for years. In 2017 the Government delayed a decision on the plans to allow further consideration of the effect of the scheme on air quality.
The Green Party has opposed the plans since their inception, highlighting the impact of a new vehicle tunnel on already dangerously high levels of air pollution in Greenwich. The Party has now submitted a further objection to Government, attacking recent air quality information submitted by the proposers as being too vague, and structured in such a way as to avoid further local scrutiny.
Speaking today, Peninsular ward rep and Green Party council candidate for the area Dan Garrun said:
The supporters of this appalling scheme, including the Labour Group in control at Greenwich Council, are being deliberately vague about air quality impacts. We are calling for clear and culminative assessment, which takes into full account the new cruise terminal at Enderby, increased numbers of cruise ships visiting Greenwich and increased traffic levels locally.
The tunnel will bring a lot of new heavier traffic into Greenwich increasing pollution levels (already far too high, and getting worse) as very large vehicles will be able to get through the new tunnel. Whilst this may benefit the freight industry by cutting times for them so they don’t have to go over Dartford Bridge, this is to the detriment of the health and wellbeing of thousands of residents on both sides of the proposed tunnel. We will continue to fight these polluting proposals with everything we’ve got.
More information about the campaign to stop the Silvertown Tunnel can be found here.