Furious Meeting Over Southall Gasworks Redevelopment

Public session fails to satisfy concerns of local residents as Viv Ellis reports

Southall meeting photo Viv Ellis
(photo: Viv Ellis)

 
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Around 200 very, very angry, frustrated Southall residents attended a public meeting on July 10th concerning their health concerns with the redevelopment of the former gasworks.

The meeting was chaired – very badly – by Councillor Peter Mason, the labour representative for Southall Green. He lost control of the proceedings after about 30 seconds and never got it back.

The Berkeley Group is building 3,750 homes on the site (a scheme which was green lit by Boris Johnson when he was Mayor). They claim it’ll provide a £47m boost to the local economy with “a new town centre” with a cinema, shops and restaurants. But residents say they are plagued by noxious smells which have been causing nausea and sickness for 2 years.

The panel of “experts” included Cllr Julian Bell, and other council members, The Environment Agency, Public Health England plus the Berkeley Group all none of whom properly addressed the public’s concerns and seemed to revel in looking stern and officious.

The local MP Virendra Sharma had tweeted at lunchtime that changes to voting arrangements at Parliament meant he could attend the meeting. He did attend but did not make any comment or contribute to the proceedings. Strange given that this is the biggest issue facing Southall since the uprising 30 years ago, his constituents’ health is being adversely affected not forgetting there may be an election soon and he has stated online that he’d like to continue.

Jo Sidhu a Southall resident and lawyer says he will launch a legal challenge to stop Berkeley’s construction works until the health impacts have been properly assessed and to hold them and all other stake holders to account for breaches of environmental regulations and public nuisance and to get compensation for people who say their lives have been ruined.

Southall meeting - Viv Ellis
( photo: Viv Ellis)

One of the main points of contention is that there is not any truly independent monitoring of the pollution in the affected area (which at 88 acres is equivalent to 36 Trafalger Squares). People are suspicious that data and information currently sent to Ealing Council by the Berkley Group themselves may be skewed.  Jo Sidhu told me his “legal team” have access to some of the best non-aligned experts who could provide independent monitoring.

One resident told the meeting that black people and those from the Indian subcontinent are more likely to be adversely affected by the stench coming from the site. Two of the hazardous smells complained about were benzene and naphthalene (moth balls) – both of which can be harmful causing nosebleeds, anaemia, dizziness and nausea. If the exposure is severe even cancer.  The “top table” of stakeholders merely brushed this off suggesting it was imagined and saying there was nothing that could be done.

Time after time the panel was asked if they were on the side of the community or the significant business interests of Berkeley – a FTSE 100 company whose 2018 revenue is listed as 2.704 billion pounds. And time after time the panel stayed quiet.

There was uproar when, at 9 o’clock the chair announced that the meeting was finished. Many people wanted to continue (even without the ‘panel) but were told they could not.

A council spokesperson said: “In line with the terms of both the planning permission and the environmental permit, air quality monitoring at the site is currently undertaken and will continue. Data will be supplied to the Environment Agency and the council and the results will be independently reviewed by Public Health England.”

 

Find out more:

Facebook & Instagram: Clean Air for Southall and Hayes


( photto via twitter)

 

Viv Ellis

 

 

 

12 July 2019

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