A new campaign launched today has urged Michael Gove as upgrade secretary to introduce tough regulation to mitigate the impact of air pollution “dark reservoirs” on communities.
The Lorax Initiative notes that the uncontrolled growth and lack of regulation of last-mile delivery stations is a hazard to vulnerable populations in urban areas, with increased traffic, congestion and pollution and reduced business for local businesses.
The campaign, which was formed after a legal battle with delivery giant Ocado’s plans to open a warehouse next to a primary school in London, suggested the new warehouse must be at least 400 meters away from facilities such as schools, hospitals and care homes.
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Rosamund Adoo Kissi-Debrah, founder of the Ella Roberts Family Foundation and clean air activist, on “dark shop” delivery stations for vulnerable groups The resulting environmental and health risks and their impact on local community degradation were addressed.
Adoo-Kissi-Debrah She became an advocate for clean air after her 9-year-old daughter Ella died in 2013 of a rare and severe form of asthma caused by her proximity to the South Loop.
In its new report, the initiative recommends that warehouses should “take annual action to reduce or promote reductions in regional and local emissions,” Making eCommerce Growth Green.
Under recommendations in the report, owners should report on progress annually and councils must require a full planning permission process for all new storage facilities. Currently, the classification of fulfillment centers is unclear — meaning companies could exploit loopholes in planning.
Andrew Grieve, director of the Lorax program and senior air quality analyst at Imperial College London’s School of Public Health, said: “The unregulated growth of dark shops and micro-distribution centers cannot continue.
“We have to take a hard look at how we protect our communities and vulnerable populations from the rise of 24/7 warehouses and dark shops. Michael Gove has to make sure that upgrading is about health and wealth. There is room for such warehouses, but in the right place.”
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Currently, more than a quarter of UK pupils attend school in areas where air pollution levels exceed World Health Organization limits. Research from the University of Manchester has linked air pollution to cognitive impairments including ADHD.
Air pollution is a trigger for many respiratory diseases, including asthma and lung cancer. Children are particularly vulnerable to acute lower respiratory infections because their lungs are still developing, and emissions of soot and other pollutants can cause lifelong lung damage in children.
