Developers get green light to build 56 homes in highly polluted London area where new residents will be warned not to open their windows The development off the A2 in Lewisham, South London, will have 56 flats Air pollution in the surrounding area is well above legal limits of nitrogen dioxide Area has 56.3 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic meter - legal limit is 40 Lewisham Council approved the development calling pollution 'low priority' By Milly Vincent For Mailonline Published: 11:06 BST, 13 April 2019 | Updated: 13:45 BST, 13 April 2019 12 shares 1 Viewcomments Approval for a housing development in London has been granted in an area so polluted residents will be advised to keep their windows shut. The air quality assessment commissioned by the developers found that future residents of the development, just off the A2 in Lewisham, South London, will be breathing in far above the legal limit of nitrogen dioxide. An area surrounding the build was found to have 56.3 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic meter - the legal limit is 40. Planning projections of the Creekside 1 off the A2 in Lewisham, South London The highest level within the building development was 43.7 leading assessors to advise that future residents keep their windows closed to the outside pollution. The assessment concluded: 'With opening windows the developer should advise the future occupants that their health could be at risk due to relatively high levels of air pollution in the area.' Air campaigner Rosamund Kissi-Debrah said the decision was 'an absolute disaster' reported The Guardian. View of the Creekside 1 proposal from the South. An area surrounding the build was found to have 56.3 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic meter - the legal limit is 40 The developers proposed green spaces outside of the development, to counteract pollution Ms Kissi-Debrah's daughter Ella Kissi-Debrah, 9, died of acute respiratory failure in Lewisham in 2013 after consistently being exposed to higher than legal NO2 levels in their home. Ella's mother told The Guardian: 'They have learned nothing from my daughter's death, nothing at all. It is an insult.' Ella Kissi-Debrah, 9, died of acute respiratory failure in Lewisham in 2013 after consistently being exposed to higher than legal NO2 levels in their home Lewisham Council gave the go ahead for the new development of 56 homes on 1 Creekside despite the low air quality in the surrounding area, detailing it as a 'low priority consideration' on the planning report. Instead of providing pollution proof glazing for the properties the council decided on spending more on marketing to alert the residents to the pollution, as the council predicted pollution would fall as vehicle emissions in the area reduce. Developer Bluecroft Property will contribute £7,500 towards monitoring the air pollution in the area. It also committed £17,500 to plant trees in the surrounding area. Rosamund Kissi-Debrah told The Guardian that the efforts of the developers were not sufficient. She said: 'Those trees will be tiny when they are planted and will do little to absorb such high levels of nitrogen oxide. 'How can they [Lewisham Council] seriously have a policy that says people need to close their windows. Air seeps in. Do they expect people will never open their front doors? Rosamund Kissi-Debrah in London. The capital with a population of about 8.7 million, 2.4 million of whom own a vehicle 'They can't have taken [my daughter's death] very seriously at all.' According to a 2016 report by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, air pollution contributes to ‘many chronic health problems’, especially respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. There is also growing evidence of its effects on other diseases such as stroke, dementia, cancer and diabetes, leading to more than six million sick days and an estimated total cost of £22.6 billion a year. Most pollution in urban areas comes from traffic, with diesel a particular threat, as it produces more dangerous tiny particles and nitrogen oxides. Bluecroft Property Development did not respond to MailOnline's questions about the air quality at Creekside 1. Lewisham Council said: 'A planning condition is in place that ensures the building will meet air quality objectives. 'The developer will provide a ventilation system that will take clean air from the roof and deliver it to the first two floors of the development.' Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility