Parents and guardians of pupils at Preston Primary school are being urged to consider the health risk to their children if development at contaminated land at Hollicombe begins – and even keep the children away from school.
The proposed development at a former gas works adjacent to the school could release potentially severely health damaging chemicals such as cyanide, arsenic, naphthalene, zinc and mercury. And the extent of the health risk is unknown.
Despite 450 written objects and a public protest in 2008, Torbay’s Special Development Control Committee of Torbay Council granted conditional approval to Midas Homes for a plan to build 185 flats at the former gas works site in Hollicombe. The conditions included the developers to provide information on the extent of the contamination of the land and on processes to safely decontaminate the site.
What came out was a remediation strategy which said that ‘extensive areas of the site have not been investigated’. And ‘it is possible during site clearance works that additional contamination may be identified or mobilised’.
Dr Andrew Robinson, a former Environmental Health Officer, speaking on behalf of the Preston Residents and Parents Against Toxic Dust Group, told the PRSD that the amount of contaminated soil is unknown and that the clean-up strategy has no details on how they will control dust emissions during the works.
“Survey work carried out so far shows that contaminated soil containing cyanide will need to be excavated right next to the school’s boundaries,” he said.
Now, in the run up to a public meeting at Preston Primary School on Thursday, June 10 at 7pm, parents and guardians are being asked to of children attending the school to sign up to or ‘commit’ to the following statement: “If redevelopment work commences on the contaminated land at Hollicombe then, unless I am certain that the health, safety and well being of my child will not be threatened by dust and emissions from the site, I will be forced to withdraw my child from Preston Primary School in order to fulfill my duties and responsibilities as a parent.”
Find out more about the Hollicombe Action Group and join their Facebook Group.
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