New heavy vehicle scrappage scheme

A new heavy vehicle scrappage scheme will help London-based businesses and charities to replace their polluting vehicles.

Heavy vehicles play an important role in London but they are also disproportionately responsible for poor air quality, therefore the Mayor’s new scrappage scheme will help small businesses and charities to replace these polluting vehicles with more environmentally-friendly alternatives. 

The scheme has been introduced ahead of tighter standards on London’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) which will mean that from March 2021 heavy vehicles will be required to meet the cleanest Euro VI emission standards for both particulate matter and nitrogen oxide pollution. 

The scrappage scheme which opens today (September 29) will offer grants of up to £15,000 to scrap a heavy vehicle and replace it with a compliant vehicle, or to retrofit the vehicle to the cleanest Euro VI standards. 

More than 100 organisations have already registered interest in the scheme, which will operate in a first-come, first-serve basis. 

This announcement follows the cancellation of the van scrappage scheme. At the start of the month, (September 1) Transport for London announced the cancellation of this scheme due to unprecedented demand and limited funds.

Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues, said: ‘The Mayor is doing everything in his power to stop Londoners breathing air so filthy that it damages children’s lungs and causes thousands of premature deaths.

‘The Ultra Low Emission Zone has already cut toxic air by more than a third and with tighter Low Emission Zone standards due to come in next year we want to ensure there is help for businesses and charities switching coaches or lorries to cleaner greener vehicles.

‘While we’re doing all we can in the capital, we now need the Government to match our levels of ambition and provide targeted national scrappage funding that supports all those small businesses who want to do the right thing and switch to cleaner vehicles across the UK.’

Photo Credit – Pixabay