Council can't counter Tunnel's climate challenge
24.01.2007
South Tyneside council has again demonstrated its ignorance of the environment and has been deaf to the voices of local people, says South Tyneside Green Party.
On Monday 22nd January the Gazette reported that 'opposition remains to the £185m second Tyne Tunnel'. The Primrose ward report for the council's Overview and Scrutiny Coordinating and Call-in Committee discusses "opposition to the route of the new Tyne Tunnel being faced and countered."
The second tunnel project is also incompatible with the findings of Sir Nicholas Stern's review on the economics of climate change, which concluded that governments must act on climate change to avoid disastrous economic costs. The Stern Review's findings were considered when Uttlesford District Council's rejected an application by BAA to substantially increase the number of passengers using Stansted airport.
Green Party spokesperson and resident of Jarrow Chris Haine said,
"That there is still opposition to the second road tunnel comes as no surprise to local green campaigners. As long as the council and TWPTA pushes for the new tunnel, people will be opposed. It's unfortunate that the council seems unable to constructively engage with residents.
"If the second road tunnel was facing a public inquiry today there would be a good chance it would be thrown out, after the damning conclusions of the Stern Report. By supporting the tunnel the council is becoming more vulnerable to charges of failing to act on climate change and dumping more traffic on areas of deprivation.
"It's clear that in using the combative language of 'facing' and 'countering' instead of listening and engaging, the council remains deaf to local concerns about the tunnel.
"It's time the council started taking climate change and human health seriously. The Green Party believes that local people know what is best for the area where they live, and what is the best environment for their children to grow up in."