§ Mr. Chris Smith (Islington, South and Finsbury)I beg to present three petitions from my constituents that express much the same sentiments as those presented by my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn): that we do not wish to become the environmental victims of the Government, choosing a cut-price option for the high-speed channel tunnel link.
The first of the petitions is from parents, teachers and associates of Canonbury school. It reads:
that the Channel Tunnel Rail Link running overground through Islington and the lengthy building work involved in constructing it would cause unacceptable damage to our environment and adversely affect the lives of the people of the area and in particular the children of Canonbury School.Wherefore your petitioners pray that your honourable House urge the Secretary of State for Transport to instruct the Union Railways to abandon the plans to run the Channel Tunnel Rail Link through Islington via the North London line and Highbury Corner. And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray.That is signed by 131 people associated with Canonbury school.Another petition is from the Islington Protection Group. It says:
We object to the Channel Tunnel Railway Link surfacing in Islington rather than in tunnel as it was originally proposed and is indeed proposed for the rest of London and the County of Kent. A surface railway will result in noise and vibration damaging properties and threaten the health of residents from pollution and noise.Wherefore your petitioners pray that your Honourable House reject Union Railways' proposal to construct a surface Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Such a Link will entail relentless rail traffic twenty four hours a day. Before this, several years of construction work will blight the area, impair the mental health of residents and destroy the green corridor now present in this environmentally sensitive part of North London.The final petition is from Islington Against the Channel Tunnel Link. It reads:We object to the construction of a high-speed link along the route of the North London line because it will cause unacceptable levels of noise, vibration, pollution and damage to the environment and our homes.Wherefore your petitioners pray that your honourable House request Union Railways to abandon plans to route a Channel Tunnel high speed rail link overground through Islington on the grounds that the construction of such a railway will mean a possible 150 extra trains every 24 hours day and night destroying the lives of residents and destruction of a green railway corridor which is an important environmental asset for London.I entirely endorse the sentiments of these three important petitions.
§ To lie upon the Table..