Bad pollution to become worse
Political editor Supplements editor Business editor Following the New Allington Action Group (NAAG) report on air pollution in the Hermitage Lane area (KM, Friday, March 3) our group would like to reply to Dr Stuart Maxwell of MBC and Jane Heeley of TMBC.
It would appear both councils disagree with the two‑week study as being valid data. However, we would remind them in the case of the Croudace development on land east of Hermitage Lane, selective data was used from the Wateringbury AQMA, some five miles from Hermitage Lane and information from the most relevant roadside monitoring sites had been deliberately excluded, due to the significant effects of What’s On reporter KoL editor traffic queuing. This makes a nonsense of collecting data and making it available for air quality assessment in areas of new housing developments.
Housing will increase congestion, and Gallagher Quarry has requested permission to increase the number of HGV (diesel) movements to 900 per day within a few yards of a proposed site for a new primary school and constitutes a valid reason for a new AQMA in Hermitage Lane.
A recent communication with the TMBC environmental protection officer stated the 2016 data results were yet to be ratified, but it would suggest there has been an increase in pollution. KoL news editor KoL assistant news editor
He states people passing through Hermitage Lane would not be present long enough for this to be a concern and it would be people who live/work in an area of exposure causing concern. Houses along the road will home in excess of 1,347 families plus the businesses and residents already in situ and the staff and patients at Maidstone Hospital must surely warrant an AQMA being declared. Although our results were from a two‑ week monitoring exercise, it still confirmed the air pollution along Hermitage Lane is breaching EU limits. It will only become worse in the coming months. Barbara Woodward secretary, New Allington Action Group