Homerton Hospital Trust gets air quality funding boost

Staff at Homerton University Hosptial in Hackney, East London will trial electric vehicles, as part of an initiative to boost air quality in the area.

Walking routes to Hackney Central and Homerton Stations will also be improved and more good quality cycle parking will be installed to enable more people to cycle to the hospital under the project. Electric vehicle charging points will also be installed to support the trial.

Homerton University Hospital

This comes after Hackney Council and Homerton Hospital Trust were jointly awarded £128,400 funding from the Mayor’s Business Air Quality Fund to deliver a Business Low Emission Neighbourhood (LEN).

According to the two organisations, the interventions will help reduce the impact of the Hospital on local air quality and congestion and improve the pedestrian environment for residents and visitors.

Walking and cycling

Hackney council will also work with local residents in the Homerton area to encourage them to walk and cycle more.

Commenting on the initiative, Cllr Feryal Demirci, Hackney’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods, transport and parks, said: “I’m delighted to receive this funding which will help add to the work we are already doing to clean up the air across the borough. The Homerton is one of the biggest employers in Hackney, with thousands of people travelling to and from the site every day. We will use this funding to help reduce the number of polluting vehicles driven in the area around the hospital and enable people to switch to zero emission modes of transport — walking, cycling and electric vehicles.”

Chris Forster, director of estates and facilities at Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, added: “The Trust is really pleased to receive funding and looks forward to continue working with Hackney Council to improve air quality and the local Environment. The Trust has worked hard to reduce its carbon emissions and has a long term strategy to do more working with partners and the local community.”