Recent News

On the 11th August the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launched his draft Environment Strategy for consultation. A public consultation on the plans is open until 17th November. The Mayor’s office states that for the first time these plans combine strategies for each aspect of London’s environment, including air quality, into one holistic document. Alongside air quality, this draft strategy also addresses green infrastructure, climate change mitigation and energy, waste, adapting to climate change, and ambient noise. When finalised, this strategy will replace the 2010 Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy produced by Boris Johnson. IAQM members may be particularly interested in long term proposals to phase out fossil fuels in London, and in the shorter term, the proposed requirement for the largest developments to meet “Air Quality Positive” standards. As the consultation draft explains: “Air Quality Positive developments will make sure that emissions and exposure to pollution are reduced. The Mayor will provide guidance for developers on the most effective approach to take to ensure a development is Air Quality Positive and will review and update the guidance as required. This will ensure the best approaches to Air Quality Positive development are used in London.”