Public Health

Unofficial Air Quality Report Reveals the Truth - 26th October 08

It is a matter of record that the Environment Agency did not comment on the Centros air quality assessment in their official consultation response, even though council planning officers have admitted that air quality will be worse because of the Centros development.

We have reliable information that the Environment Agency has been in disagreement for some time with Lancaster City Council Environmental Health over the location of the only continuous pollution  monitor in Lancaster at Water St near the bus station. We cannot help but wonder whether this is connected in some way with the fact that this monitor was excluded from the Centros air quality assessment.

Much of Lancaster Council's air quality results depend on this monitor and we have been informed that the head of the Environment Agency in Lancaster, Prof Roger Timmis, who is based at Lancaster University, does not want to get involved as it may mean that Lancaster City Council will not allow the Environment Agency to set up an additional continuous monitor in Lancaster.

We think that this abrogation of responsibility seriously undermines the Environment Agency's statutory role as a guardian of public health and the environment, and following the planning committee's decision to approve the Centros applications, we decided to post this unofficial August 2008 report on the Centros air quality assessment made for us by a scientist employed by the Environment Agency. The scientist was subsequently threatened with the sack if she continued to help us. This report is only a couple of pages and the conclusions are clear. We are being deceived over the true impact of this development on our air quality and it is young children who are most at risk.