Sadiq Khan says Silvertown Tunnel won’t increase emissions amid claims ‘children would breathe in fumes’

Sadiq Khan has hit back at claims from critics that the Silvertown Tunnel would lead to schoolchildren breathing in toxic fumes from cars, insisting that the project will not worsen pollution in Southeast London. Zoë Garbett, who is standing as the Green Party’s candidate for mayor on May 2, told MyLondon in February that Mr Khan’s plans for the new Thames crossing ‘contradict’ his rhetoric on the environment, and would see ‘tens of thousands’ of local schoolchildren breathing in poisonous pollution.

She said: “You’ve created a space that obviously was intended for use. So, I think, the whole programme from beginning to end has not been well thought through at all.”

The campaign group – Stop Silvertown Tunnel Traffic and Pollution (SSTTP) – has also claimed in an email to the commissioner of Transport for London (TfL), Andy Lord, and Deputy Mayor of London for transport, Seb Dance, that general traffic will ‘always worsen long-term climate outcomes, and long-term local pollution outcomes in some of London’s least affluent and most polluted boroughs’.

READ MORE: Sadiq Khan’s £2m school solar panel plan would be ‘like building a whole new power station’

But now, Mr Khan has hit back, stating that there are not enough river crossings in South East London, and the Blackwall Tunnel is ‘not fit for purpose’. He added that he has ‘improved’ plans for the Silvertown Tunnel, including making sure there are two lanes for zero-emmission buses.

The mayor also said: “But also the air quality monitors, the other steps we are taking, are being told the ULEZ is now wider. That means the quality of air will improve, the congestion will reduce, and it’s far better doing that than the status quo.

“People who are concerned about the air quality, I’m hoping they’ll realise that one of the reasons the air is so poor around there is because there isn’t the infrastructure investment, because that’s a poor part of London.” He added that there are air pollution monitors being installed during and after the construction to ‘make sure’ that emissions do not increase.

Labour’s shadow energy secretary and former leader, Ed Miliband, told MyLondon that he ‘understands why people are anxious’ about the project, but the mayor is doing it because he believes it will ‘make a positive difference’ on air quality. “Nobody has been more committed”, Mr Miliband, added “to tackling the silent killer of air pollution than Sadiq”.

Mayor announces ’10 point’ net zero plan

The mayor made the comments on the day that he announced a ’10 point plan’ to achieve net zero in the capital. This includes a ‘Net Zero Schools’ initiative, which would help schools install solar panels on their roofs.

The mayor adds that a £2 million pot of cash would also be spent on installing heat pumps and making building more energy efficient overall. Mr Khan’s team says the scheme would be rolled out with the hope to expand to more schools, and reduce energy bills for schools by up to £50,000 a year.

Read our exclusive sit-down interview with Sadiq Khan ahead of the London mayoral election here. Read our full chat with Susan Hall here.

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