Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Air Pollution: Brownfield Redevelopment

Thursday 21 January 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Secretary of State regularly meets Cabinet colleagues to discuss air quality and planning issues.
  • Air quality is a key consideration in local authority planning decisions.
  • The redevelopment of the former gasworks site at Southall is a matter for the local authority and the Mayor of London.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Virendra Sharma Lab
Environment
Context

MP is concerned about discussions on air pollution generated from the redevelopment of brownfield sites.

Question

What recent discussions has he had with Cabinet colleagues on the level of air pollution generated from the redevelopment of brownfield sites?

Answer from Rebecca Pow

The Secretary of State regularly meets Cabinet colleagues to discuss a range of issues, including air quality and planning issues. Air quality is a key consideration of local authority planning decisions, and there are strong protections in place to safeguard people from unacceptable risks from air pollution where development is proposed, and this is detailed in national planning policy.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific details of recent discussions on the level of air pollution from brownfield redevelopment.

How: Hedging

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Q2 Virendra Sharma Lab
Environment
Context

Residents in the MP's constituency are affected by fumes from the Southall gasworks remediation project, which went ahead against local wishes. The MP seeks a meeting with officials to discuss why this is acceptable and whether government will empower agencies like the Environment Agency or Public Health England to act.

Question

People living in my constituency feel choked by the fumes from the remediation of Southall gasworks, a project forced through against the wishes of local residents and local representatives by the then Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. Will the Minister confirm that they will meet me and local residents to explain why they think this is acceptable and why the Government will not empower either the Environment Agency or Public Health England to act?

Answer from Rebecca Pow

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. The redevelopment of the former gasworks site at Southall is a matter for the local authority and the Mayor of London, as I am sure he is well aware. Local authorities are required to review and assess local air quality and decide what monitoring is necessary in line with statutory duties. This Government are tackling air quality and taking it extremely seriously with their £3.8 billion project. If the hon. Gentleman wants to contact me with any details about this issue, I am happy to speak to him but I am not able to get involved in any way in particular planning issues.

Not addressed: Did not confirm a meeting or empower agencies as requested and shifted responsibility to local authorities.

How: Shifting Responsibility

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