Action Plan (AQAP) is central to the Council’s commitment to improve air quality in the Borough and across London.
They are currently updating and enhancing our Action Plan, proposing new measures to improve air quality in the Borough and we need your input.
The measures and actions outlined in the draft Air Quality Action Plan will also help us achieve the Air Quality Objectives defined by the Government and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Recent studies have shown that around 9,000 people in London die from the effects of poor air quality each year.
There is a strong body of evidence which shows that short term exposure to high levels of air pollution has a range of adverse health effects. These can range from exacerbation of respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic respiratory disease, through to increases in emergency admissions to hospital.
Poor air quality disproportionately affects the health outcomes of the young, the elderly, the ill and the poor.
- Air pollution can be a contributing factor to serious health problems like heart disease and cancer.
- It often affects the most vulnerable in our society; children, older people and those with heart and lung conditions.
- There is a strong correlation between air pollution and poverty: areas with poor air quality are often the less affluent areas.
Impacts of air pollution
Air Pollution is a big issue in Tower Hamlets, where in 2016 around 80% of our residents live in areas with unacceptable air quality. In 2016, 55 out of 70 primary schools and 19 out of 22 secondary schools were located in areas of pollution exceed the legal limits. This means that about 80% of our schools are in areas of unacceptable air quality.
Studies, including one carried out in Tower Hamlets, have shown that children living in highly polluted areas are much more likely to have reduced lung function in adulthood, as the pollution affects the developing lungs. Young children who live in polluted areas also have more coughs and wheezes. Improving air quality for children has been shown to halt and reverse this effect.
Where does the pollution come from?
The main source of pollution in Tower Hamlets is form road vehicle emissions. The rest of the emissions originate from construction machinery, river traffic and aviation.
What we are doing
We would like to hear from you on how we can better tackle this issue from a local authority level.
We are consulting on our Air Quality Action Plan which outlines the actions that Tower Hamlets will aim to deliver between 2022-2027 in order to reduce concentrations of pollution, and exposure to pollution; thereby positively impacting on the health and quality of life of residents and visitors to the borough. The Action Plan will be a live document that will be added to as new actions are identified.
Our priorities are:
- Enforcing the Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) Low Emission Zone
- Promoting and enforcing smoke control zones
- Promoting and delivering energy efficiency retrofitting projects in workplaces and homes
- Supporting alerts services such as Airtext
- Reducing pollution in and around schools, and extending school audits to other schools in polluted areas
- Installing Ultra Low emission Vehicle (ULEV) infrastructure
- Improving walking and cycling infrastructure
- Promoting regular Car Free days/temporary road closures in high footfall areas
- Reducing emissions from council fleets
- Implement campaigns to raise air quality awareness
- Enforcing unnecessary idling
