Road plans will have an impact on air quality

Reid Anderson, Halifax

AT its meeting on July 28, the Calderdale Planning Committee will consider the council’s own application for approval to build a massive new road and bridge over the river and canal at the northern end of the Elland bypass.

The application was first considered over a year ago, but has been held up because of concerns about ancient woodland.

It is a shame that the councillors have not shown any concern about the impact the scheme will have on air quality in the area.

This is already the worst in Calderdale, and has deteriorated further over the last decade.

The documents before the Planning Committee make little reference to air quality, but buried in the paperwork (on page 35 of the Calderdale Air Quality Action Plan 2019, a document that runs to 65 pages) you find - in relation to this scheme - the admission that “if the traffic growth is as predicted there may be a detrimental impact on air quality, although not in proportion to the increased traffic”.

Final score: Traffic flows 1 air quality 0.

But perhaps there may be some extra time to be played. I have made objections to the Department for Transport whose permission may be needed if this scheme is to go ahead, pointing out that in order to meet this country’s climate change commitments Government policy is to take action to reduce air pollution caused by motor vehicles.

So it may be that even if this wholly misconceived scheme gets the go ahead from Calderdale planners, the Government might itself bin it. Let’s hope so.

In the meantime, Calderdale Council, which constantly trumpets its climate change credentials, and never ceases to point out that it is skint, ploughs ahead with a scheme costing many millions of pounds of taxpayer money that makes the already appalling levels of air pollution at Salterhebble even worse. Unbelievable.