E-Petition to protect respiratory pat... - Lung Conditions C...

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E-Petition to protect respiratory patients against construction dust and associated air pollution.

waynereid profile image
23 Replies

Hi everyone,

Since my wife's lung transplant we have discovered that respiratory patients, or any vulnerable humans have no automatic protection in UK Planning Law when development is considered. Considering the amount of new homes planned for 2016 alone, many people are going to be affected. This is wrong and needs to change as Bats and other selective animals species are protected. Surely a human's health should also have equal, if not more protection?

So please read more and sign and share the e-petition I have created below. Also remember in any petition, children also count as there is no age requirement. So ask all your family and friends and share wherever you like on social media please as we need to get this to hit the thousands for me to take it to Parliament. You can use the same email address for different people in your household by the way, if some do not have email addresses.

Thanks

Wayne

petition.parliament.uk/peti...

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waynereid profile image
waynereid
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23 Replies
stone-UK profile image
stone-UK

Hi

Further reading.

hse.gov.uk/research/crr_pdf...

waynereid profile image
waynereid in reply to stone-UK

Thanks Stone.

Have not read through all of that yet, but presumably that is aimed at those working within construction?

My campaign is in regard to those affected by proposed surrounding development in their local area?

stone-UK profile image
stone-UK in reply to waynereid

Hi

I worked in construction demolition, new build, refurbishment .

The laws change many years ago, and part of the risk assessment is to include , members of the public who may be affected by the works, which includes air and noise pollution.

The difficulty is deciding what is acceptable levels taking into account the work as to progress at a reasonable time scale.

The effort taken in reducing pollution is of a much higher standed than it as ever been.

What is required is more enforcing offices to the currant regulations are adhered to.

The worst one I see is using disc cutter on concrete slabs, without water feed being turned on.

waynereid profile image
waynereid in reply to stone-UK

Hi Stone,

So why does my LPA tell me there is no consideration for the health of a human? We face out house being surrounded and even the Environmental Health officer agrees that measures available will not protect my wife? From a nearby site which we did not think would affect us, we were covered in dust daily and ahe contracted Aspergillis during this period due to being post transplant and immuno compromised. Bizarrely as it is rural here, quite a few projects have been discarded due to protected animal species. Yet there is no equal importance in the consideration process for a human's health. This is what needs to change in my opinion. Not once the proposals are agreed but before the determination of an application, a developer should seek to re locate anyone in a position such as my wife.

Thanks

Wayne

knitter profile image
knitter in reply to stone-UK

I agree stone ....the old stables behind my house were refurbished ,they used stone cutters for weeks on end and the dust was terrible so I had to stay inside. I didn't realise there was a water feed they could have used.

waynereid profile image
waynereid in reply to knitter

Hi Knitter,

This is what we currently face as the only proposed access passes our front door (which is at the side) on a narrow track and then the housing will border us on two sides. We have tried in vein to strike up some arrangement with the applicants and they have had various letters from my wife's medical team detailing her condition and the possible risk, even if control measures are put in place. They have failed to respond positively on three occasions now and the Planning Officer tells us it is not within her powers to make this a consideration in the process.

hence why I started the campaign as this has been going on for nearly two years now. We cannot even sell as they actually propose changes to our parking situation, but that is a whole other story.

waynereid profile image
waynereid in reply to knitter

Hi Knitter,

this is what my wife faces should this current phase go ahead. We will have to enter the site to enter/exit our own home. There is large opposition the project anyway and once it was withdrawn. But they have recently re submitted it and seemingly keep getting extra time to overcome issues relating to ecology and Highways, but we have approached the LPA and the applicants on many occasions to resolve our situation before this is determined so we have some idea of our immediate future. No party has shown any positive response though.

knitter profile image
knitter in reply to waynereid

Hi Wayne, have you approached your MP at all?

Or the Citizens Advice Bureau.

You and your wife's situation sounds much worse than mine was....the building and renovation work was at the bottom of my garden. We did appeal to the council, but as Stone says there don't seem to be enough inspectors to check ...I didn't realise that the builders could have avoided so much dust when cutting stone.

Can you access the planning regulations on line at all?

As you say bats and newts are taken into consideration.

Best wishes ...and I hope your MP is as good as ours if you contact him/her.

waynereid profile image
waynereid in reply to knitter

Hi Knitter,

Yes have spoken to our MP a few times. he shows support but again his hands are tied as since the co alition and moreso since a full Conservative government, the process has been made even simpler for construction projects to get passed. The evidence has been presented that my wife was afffected by an earlier phase nearby and even whilst the land surrounding us is still currently owned by 3 locals who know us and our situation, not one party will sit down and work this out with us.

It is always about the ££££££s!!!

I do not want recognition for my wife's health AFTER they have been given permission. It needs to be a factor BEFORE any determination.

Thanks

Wayne

knitter profile image
knitter in reply to waynereid

Hi Wayne, I have been trawling the Planning Regulations....as you say there is a lot about the Eco system and the environment.

How about the Human Rights Act.

Can you object on access to the site being so poor....Health and Safety considerations for you and your wife accessing your home.

best wishes

waynereid profile image
waynereid in reply to knitter

Hi,

Well i did think that as she is registered disabled too. But we have a rather expensive Lawyer on board already who advises that there is seemingly little or zero chance of using that as a reason to block it. Which is fair as she could have just charged us a fortune to try something but we do have one of the good ones! lol

I also contacted Disability rights organisations last year and none seemed to be able to help. They are mostly geared up for Workplace Discrimination and PIP challenges.

sassy59 profile image
sassy59

Thanks Wayne, we have lots of building work going on where we are so I have signed. xxx

waynereid profile image
waynereid in reply to sassy59

Cheers. Please spread the word far and wide too.

It is a very serious flaw that a person's health is NOT considered a material matter in planning decisions!

clematis5932 profile image
clematis5932

Wayne What exactly would you require in order to receive the protection that your wife and any other person needs.

waynereid profile image
waynereid in reply to clematis5932

Hi,

I am glad i found this forum as it is very active compared to others :-)

The simplest way to equate this is as follows. If a protected species is found in the survey, or someone points out that bats (or other) are present before a proposal is started then the developer has to halt and ask for advice from the various authorities. It is also my understanding that (if they are allowed to) then a safe relocation of said species has to be done in the correct manner and under the watch of authorities before any work can commence.

Do you agree that someone with a much reduced lung function and is also immuno compromised should also have a similar protection? Our issues have been highlighted yet whilst there is a duty upon the local authority to consider animals/insects/ecology in the process they have NO DUTY to consider human health. This is a flawed process.

A human's health that is at risk from development should be a material consideration equally, if not above that of ecology and the animal world.

clematis5932 profile image
clematis5932

Yes I agree that people also should be protected but I would have thought that they would be under all the risk assessments that have to be done at every stage of building work.

waynereid profile image
waynereid in reply to clematis5932

No, unfortunately not! Environmental health can ask (note: only ask) that once permission is granted that some control measures are taken. But the consideration and arrangements for such persons should be part of the process BEFORE permission is granted. Just like it is for ecology and protected species!

Dedalus profile image
Dedalus

Signed

waynereid profile image
waynereid in reply to Dedalus

Thank you Dedalus. Please share with as manyas you can too. Adults and children. It has started gaining momentum this morning so need to keep that up.

waynereid profile image
waynereid

Thanks to all of you that have signed and shared this in the last few hours. It has just hit 110 which is a good start. We do need to get some more zeros on the end though.

Please remember there is no lower age limit on signatories to any petition, so all family members can be signed up and you can use the same email address if some people do not have one.

If everyone who signs was to ask another 5 people perhaps then we may get some serious figures quite quickly.

If anyone knows any other useful forums to join also then do please message me.

You can also follow me on twitter for updates. @UKVoiceoverWR

petition.parliament.uk/peti...

waynereid profile image
waynereid

Thanks to all of you that have signed and shared this in the last few hours. It has just hit 110 which is a good start. We do need to get some more zeros on the end though.

Please remember there is no lower age limit on signatories to any petition, so all family members can be signed up and you can use the same email address if some people do not have one.

If everyone who signs was to ask another 5 people perhaps then we may get some serious figures quite quickly.

If anyone knows any other useful forums to join also then do please message me.

You can also follow me on twitter for updates. @UKVoiceoverWR

petition.parliament.uk/peti...

Wayne, it does seem wrong that the dangers of building work are not properly respected. But there's no way I could support a campaign which denigrates the protection of wildlife and the environment, so much of which is on the edge of survival as a direct consequence of human activity. Those few little protections which they have should be treasured and held up as an example, not mocked. I would be ashamed to support a campaign which sees the protection of humans and of the environment as being in competition. Those who are working for the vulnerable of all kinds should be able to support each other against the interests of big business, because that's what you're up against, not the bats.

waynereid profile image
waynereid

Hi,

I think you misunderstand the content. It does not denigrate the afforded wildlife protections but questions why they are not offered in equal measure to vulnerable human beings. One human life at risk is also one person at the edge of extinction!

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