New Air Quality Action Plan launched on Clean Air Day

This revised plan sets out the vision for delivering air quality improvements over the years from 2019 until 2023. The council is committed to reducing the exposure of people in its borough to poor air quality in order to improve health and quality of life for residents and visitors to the borough.

Cllr Manuel Abellan Chair, Environment & Neighbourhoods Committee said:
“Sutton is committed to improving air quality within its borough and has ambitions to become the greenest borough in London. Our revised Air Quality Action Plan updates and replaces the previous version that was published in 2013. Since this time we have implemented a number of measures to improve the borough’s air quality, for example, through controlling emissions associated with new developments, delivering schemes that improve the pedestrian and cycling environment and working with businesses to help them reduce their fuel consumption.

Although we meet most of the national targets, we should still strive for better. We have, therefore, set tougher targets so that we continue to push ourselves to improve.”

The plan sets out to achieve the following identified priorities:

• Support the objectives and priorities within the Mayor’s Transport Strategy

• Increase and improve public transport options in the borough

• Implement the borough’s Parking Strategy and ULEV Policy

• Support businesses operating in the borough to deliver ‘Clean Growth’

• Manage the impacts from construction

• Implement campaigns to raise awareness

• Produce and implement a Sustainability Strategy

• Use procurement policies to promote uptake of emissions reduction measures

Cllr Manuel Abellan Chair, Environment & Neighbourhoods Committee and Director of Public Health, Dr Imran Choudhury attended Robin Hood Junior School today, Clean Air Day, to launch the plan.

Robin Hood Junior School is the location for a living wall that was recently installed along its boundary using funding from the Mayor's Air Quality Fund. This was part of a wider project to improve air quality in Sutton Town Centre and included improvements to footways and cycle lanes leading into the High Street and the launch of the folding bike hire scheme at Sutton station. The living wall is already proving popular with the school community and wildlife.

Dave Trew, Lead Officer, Pollution Control, delivered a class on air quality to a number of pupils from different year groups who champion the environment.

The Air Quality Action Plan can be read in full here.