The government has given the greenlight to a controversial tunnel that will run between Greenwich and Silvertown.

The decision on the £1bn Silvertown Tunnel was meant to be made in October, but extra time was given to assess the impact on air quality.

The go-ahead was given today by the Secretary of State, and construction is set to start next year with a view to being completed by 2023.

Campaigners have argued against the tunnel for nearly five years, and are calling on Mayor Sadiq Khan to rethink the plans.

No to Silvertown Tunnel chair Anne Robbins said: “We still believe that this will ultimately make the congestion problem worse, by adding to traffic jams elsewhere.

“The environmental mitigation suggested – such as running a cycle bus through the tunnel – is a hollow joke, while tolls will just punish those who need to use the tunnel.”

In the report, published today, it is claimed that as the area is undergoing major developments, there are uncertainties in predicting traffic.

The secretary of state said in his report: “The Secretary of State notes that whilst there might be worsening in air quality of some receptors that are already over the limits for NO2 the Secretary of State is content that with the mitigation measures secured through the DCO, the Development can operate at the levels of traffic and emissions that were assessed by the Applicant.

“The Secretary of States places weight on the fact that whilst some receptors will experience a worsening in air quality as a result of the Development, overall the Development should have a beneficial impact on air quality."

The applicant is Transport for London, which claims tunnel will reduce traffic at the Blackwall Tunnel and improve links across the river.

Matt Browne, of the Greenwich Green Party, said the new tunnel will only make the pollution hotspot worse.

He said: “The tunnel will bring a lot of new heavier traffic into Greenwich increasing pollution levels – already far too high, and getting worse – as very large vehicles will be able to get through the new tunnel.

“Whilst this may benefit the freight industry by cutting travel times for them, this is to the detriment of our air and the health of the people who breathe it.

“This is good news for lorry companies, bad news for Greenwich residents who enjoy breathing.”

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A letter issued on behalf of the transport secretary Chris Grayling said he agreed previous findings that “once operational with the user charge in place, the scheme should help reduce congestion and provide resilience for vehicles currently using the Blackwall Tunnel”.

The Blackwall Tunnel currently carries more than 36 million journeys a year.

The report also makes references to tolling the Woolwich Ferry and Blackwall Tunnel to manage traffic demands.

Responding to the scheme, Cllr Matt Hartley, leader of Greenwich Conservatives, said: “The Silvertown Tunnel will increase resilience in the transport network, reducing the gridlock that we have become all too used to in Greenwich – and we remain supportive of the tunnel in principle for that reason.

“However, more consideration still needs to be given to significant environmental mitigations and to changes to the existing road network, to ensure congestion is not just shunted elsewhere.

“We have consistently highlighted residents’ concerns about the potential impact on air quality, and we will continue to do so as we study the full detail of the scheme as approved.”

Now that the DCO has been granted, TfL is working with Newham and Greenwich Council's, landowners and stakeholders to outline the next steps for the project, including agreeing details of securing land.