East London Assessment Study (Hansard, 27 February 1990)

§ Mr. Chris Smith (Islington, South and Finsbury)

I have the honour to present 10 petitions to the House, all on the subject of the east London assessment study road proposals as they affect my constituency and that of my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn). These are in addition to the 37 petitions that I presented on Friday morning and in addition also to petitions from the residents of St. Peter's ward, from members of the congregation of the Union chapel and from Mrs. Sherlock, which I deposited in the Bag earlier today.

I have a petition from the residents of Compton terrace, in my constituency, signed by all the residents of Compton terrace, which Sheweth that the east London assessment study road proposals will be detrimental to our community and environment. Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your honourable House will urge the Secretary of State for Transport will give due attention to improving public transport rather than increasing the road capacity which will inevitably be filled by people commuting by car. Those are sentiments with which I wholeheartedly concur.

There is a petition from citizens concerned with the environment and quality of life in London, drawn from all parts of Islington. They urge that the implementation of the east London assessment study road proposals will be harmful to the environment by attracting increased car traffic into London.

There is a petition from residents of College cross, Witherington road and other parts of Islington showing that the road proposals will harm the environment through noise, pollutants, the division of communities and increases in global warming. They urge the Secretary of State likewise to increase investment in public transport.

There is a petition from the merchants and shoppers of Holloway road. They show that the road proposals will be detrimental to our environment, our communities and our amenities. They urge the Secretary of State to abandon the road-widening schemes.

There is a petition from the residents of Holloway road and surrounding streets. They show that the widening of Holloway road will increase the number of lorries using the road and greatly increase the noise level. They urge the Secretary of State for Transport to abandon the proposal to widen Holloway road and instead to increase investment in public transport.

There is a petition from the parish and community of the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Eden grove, in my constituency. It shows that the ELAS road proposals are totally unacceptable and would cause the widespread destruction of homes, businesses and workplaces. It would mean an increase in noise, dirt and pollution. The petitioners fear for the safety of old people, mothers with prams, toddlers and children who attend Our Lady of the Sacred Heart school in Eden grove, who will often have to make the hazardous crossing to attend the school, church and community centre. They too urge the Secretary of State for Transport to abandon the new road schemes.

There is a petition from the residents of Upper Holloway. They show that the ELAS road proposals will 247 drastically reduce the value of their properties. They urge the Secretary of State for Transport to abandon the road proposals.

There is a petition from residents of Dunmow walk. They believe that the road proposals will be detrimental to their environment.

There is a petition from residents of Ronalds road. They believe that the proposals will be detrimental to the environment by increasing pollution, traffic congestion and causing destruction to existing communities.

Finally, there is a petition from the staff of the Whittington hospital, Highgate hill. They believe that the ELAS road proposals will greatly increase the transport problems that they will have in getting to and from work. They believe that it will have a disastrous effect on the services that they provide to patients in the local community, and they believe that the proposals will damage the environment in which they work due to increased pollution. They urge the Secretary of State for Transport to drop all the road widening schemes and greatly to improve public transport.

The petitions contain thousands of signatures. They represent part, but only part, of the anger and dismay felt by my constituents at the proposals for major road building which the Secretary of State for Transport is currently considering, and which no one in my constituency wants to see happen.

§ Mr. Jeremy Corbyn (Islington, North)

Last Friday, I and my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) presented 86 petitions to the House, and tonight we are presenting another 20 or so. In total, more than 10,000 people have signed more than 100 petitions opposing the proposals to build major roads through our constituencies and those of our hon. Friends.

Tonight I am presenting to the House 14 petitions with nearly 1,000 signatures and I have also put in the Bag a petition in similar terms from the vicar and parishioners of St. Thomas the Apostle church on St. Thomas's road, near Finsbury park.

The first petition that I wish to present is from the residents of St. George's, Islington, N19 and N7. It reads: To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament Assembled.

The Humble Petition, of the residents of St. George's Islington, N19 and N7 Sheweth.

That the ELAS Road Proposals will not meet the Department of Transport's stated Objective of improving the Environment. On the contrary, the proposal D2 for the "upgrading" of the Holloway Road will in practice mean the conversion of our local High Street into a massive commuter rat run. The effect of such a drastic increase in speeding traffic, noise and pollution will be to devastate our communities on either side of the road, with continuing blight and loss of local shops and facilities.

Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your honourable House will urge the Secretary of State for Transport to reject this option D2 and all road-upgrading schemes in London, and concentrate instead on improving public transport services and restraint of commuter traffic in London.

And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. I have a petition from the residents of London, most of whom live in the boroughs that I and my hon. Friend represent, concerning the safety of cyclists and pedestrians 248 who would ordinarily use roads and imploring the Secretary of State for Transport to reject the road-building proposals because of the danger to cyclists, pedestrians and other road users, and instead to increase investment in public transport, to reduce fares and to increase the usage of them.

I have a petition from the residents of 31 Huddleston road and their friends, signed by some 39 people living in a few houses in that area, pointing out that the road proposals will harm their environment and cause road traffic congestion and accidents.

I have a petition from the Boye-Anawomah family who live at 5–7 Marlborough road, Upper Holloway, N.19. It points out that the result would be the ruin of their home and their environment, and the destruction of their local shops and other amenities, and that it would drastically reduce the value of their property and make it unsafe for their children to cross Holloway road. Again it asks that the scheme be dropped.

I have a petition from 24 fathers of children who live in north Islington, pointing out that if large roundabouts between Archway and the Nag's Head shopping area go ahead, the increase in the volume of traffic will pollute the air and increase the level of noise, and endanger their children's physical and mental growth, something that is well documented because of the lead and other forms of air pollution that we suffer from through traffic in our borough.

The residents of Horsell road point out that the building and upgrading of the road will cause increased levels of traffic in the study area generally and on the southern section of the Holloway road in particular, creating an environment increasingly hostile to pedestrians and inhibiting access to shops, public transport and other local services essential to the community. Again they ask for an improvement in public transport as an alternative, and a cheaper and more sensible way of proceeding.

I have a petition signed by only one person, who represents a large number of people, as he is acting chair of the Drayton park neighbourhood forum. There are 24 such forums in the borough which I have the honour to represent. Again he points out that the proposals for a priority route network described in "Traffic in London" and in the east London assessment study will encourage increased levels of car use and will lead to greater congestion in north east London, polluting the environment with noise, noxious emissions and greenhouse gases, and causing harm to the residents. Again, the petition asks the Secretary of State to reject any proposals for the upgrading of the road. That is signed by Mr. Bernstein, who represents a large number of people who are genuinely and deeply concerned.

I have a petition signed by 52 mothers of children who live in north Islington. It points out that the increased volume of traffic will pollute the air and increase the level of noise, and endanger their children's mental and physical growth. It urges the Secretary of State to abandon all road widening schemes put forward.

I have a petition from the Byam Shaw school of art, in Elthorne road, N19, showing that the east London assessment study proposals, in particular the widening of Holloway road, will divide the community and ruin the environment in which the students work and study. Again it urges rejection.

The members of the Tufnell park neighbourhood forum ask for rejection of the proposal. They organised a 249 public meeting where the hall proved not to be big enough for the 400-odd people who tried to attend to register their concern.

I have a petition from the residents of Archway, showing that the road proposals will be damaging to the homes of people who live in that area. That is signed by 250 people.

I have a petition from the mothers at the Whittington one o'clock club, which is for small children, and the over-60s at Whittington court—an interesting combination. They have come together to point out that the proposal will be harmful to children attending the club and the surrounding park, and they urge rejection of it.

There is a petition from the residents of Holbrooke court in London N7, which overlooks Holloway road and Parkhurst road. It points out that they are opposed to the widening of Archway road and Holloway road because of the destruction of homes, workplaces and churches, and the ruination of the Nag's Head shopping centre. They say that the proposal will increase London's already severe traffic problems.

Finally, I have a petition from the parishioners of St. John's church, London N19, showing that the ELAS road proposal will cause the destruction of the church. A large number of churches along the route will be destroyed, as well as many homes, community centres and jobs.

I hope that the House, in receiving these petitions, will seriously consider the total opposition to major road-building proposals and the awful damage that they will do to the borough that we have the honour to represent.