Letters on environment and floods

Paul Donovan, Dangan Road, Wanstead, writes:

Redbridge Council has just launched its Climate Change Action Plan and Green Urban Landscape Policy.

The world is faced by a dual crisis of climate and biodiversity breakdown.

The two threats have to be addressed together, they are not mutually exclusive.

In the case of carbon emissions in Redbridge, the research conducted shows buildings being the biggest emitters, accounting for 56 per cent. Transport comes next with 36pc and waste caused 8pc of emissions.

The plan will see retrofitting of properties and commitments to new sustainable levels.
On waste, recycling rates have improved with the roll out of wheelie bins. The variety of plastic that can be recycled is also expanding.

On transport, council vehicle fleets are converting to electricity. Transport is a very challenging area.

The recent London Boroughs Healthy Street scorecards saw Redbridge coming in 31st out of 33.

The borough was found to have one of the lowest levels of walking and cycling. But high levels of pedestrian and cyclist casualties plus car ownership. The borough was found to have just 1pc of protected cycle lanes, with 15pc of the borough covered by 20mph speed limits. Efforts are being made to meet these challenges. The 20mph speed limits are being expanded, whilst, consultation on some more protected cycle lanes in the west of the borough are being rolled out.

There are also efforts to expand Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ), Low Emission Neighbourhoods and School Streets. The Ultra Low Emission Zone will be extended to the west of the borough in October.

So things are happening, though there is a long way to go.

We are often reminded as councillors about the cycling network in neighbouring boroughs like Waltham Forest and Newham. Also, the CPZ and Low Emission Neighbourhoods in these boroughs. They offer a standard we have to aspire to reach.

However, to get the changes people must come along in support. There has been opposition in Redbridge to School Streets and Quieter Streets schemes. The council listened and acted. But as a result we have a more polluted, less sustainable borough than otherwise might be the case. There does often seem to be opposition to almost any change proposed, no matter how virtuous. The challenge of course for those seeking to make the changes is to communicate and consult better.

On biodiversity, the Growzone program, begun in Wanstead, has expanded out across the borough and will spread further with the new urban landscape policy. There is to be more tree planting and cultivation of tree pits.

There is much to do and little time to do it. The report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gave the world 12 years to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees – a quarter of that period has now passed. The Climate Change Action Plan highlights that only 2.4pc of emissions in the borough are due to council activities, so the bigger challenge is to get others to also address their carbon footprints.

Support schemes

Melvyn Freake, Ilford, full address supplied, writes:

A quiet streets initiative was introduced last August but withdrawn after some public opposition that rightly argued the scheme had been imposed without consultation.

The council apologised for the lack of consultation but explained that the terms of the funding were that the scheme had to be installed quickly. It agreed to look at the issue again. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have been studying police data on schemes introduced between March and September in 72 areas of London. Urban 20 mph speed limits introduced in the early 2000s had led to a 23 per cent reduction in road injuries to car users and pedestrians. The quiet streets schemes were more than twice as effective. Cyclists were also to a lesser extent safer. It also showed that roads around the borders were no more dangerous.

A 40pc reduction in injuries is important information and it is likely to be informing the introduction of traffic reduction schemes around our schools. But I hope it is also information that the car user residents who opposed the quiet street pilots within the borough will take on board.

I support the use of quiet streets as an important measure to help us reduce our carbon use by driving less and because doing so will improve the air quality in residential areas. Making our streets safer is another important reason. If we can also re-green our streets in various ways, by planting rather than concreting, it should help make us more resilient in dealing with the flash flooding Redbridge has experienced over the last few weeks. These are steps we can take.

Answers needed

Peel Place in Clayhall shortly after Sunday's (July 25) flooding (Image: Jonathan King)

Cllr Clark Vasey, Churchfields ward, writes:

There is no doubt that council workers and emergency services played a tremendous role in supporting residents affected by flooding across Redbridge. Their efforts are to be commended. Yet let’s not rush to commend the leadership of the council. There are questions they need to answer on how seriously they have been taking flood prevention and whether they have done all they can to protect homes and properties.

Since being elected in 2018 I have been pressing the council on flood prevention and have called out where their efforts have been wanting. Early in my term I went with a resident along the stretch of the River Roding next to Chigwell Road up to Charlie Brown’s roundabout. I provided the council with evidence of blocked drains and outlets.

We can all agree that long term flood prevention is needed, but ensuring drains are clear is the responsibility of the council and it is essential to reduce the risk of flooding. Every councillor in Redbridge will know that I have consistently pressed the council on this point. The answers haven’t always filled us with confidence.

Despite it being an area at risk of flooding, when I asked when drains were cleared at the November council, I was disappointed to learn that the drains along Chigwell Road up to Charlie Brown’s roundabout had not been cleared since August 2019. More than a year’s gap potentially putting businesses and properties at risk. I asked again about flooding earlier this year, but the council leave so little time for questions that it was not reached.

I asked the leader of the council for an update at the Local Forum in November, yet despite there being a known flood risk in the area, the leader could not answer. Hardly taking flood risk seriously. In the most recent Forum (July 28, 2021) the leader claimed blocked drains were not a cause of the flooding but avoided stating how often drains in flood risk areas should be cleared.

The borough has now felt the full force of flooding. Despite the warnings of the councillor who bangs on about flooding, the council showed little evidence of being on top of proper prevention. So there are questions about whether our Labour council has done all it can to minimise the risk of flooding. These questions must now be answered.