2024 National Air Quality Conference

 The 2024 National Air Quality Conference

6th November, Prospero House, Borough, London.

We are delighted to announce the 2024 National Air Quality Conference will be heading to a new venue this November, Prospero House, Borough, London on 6th November.

This will be our 5th edition of the event, and as ever, we will be bringing together some of the most important policymakers & leading academics who are working on solutions to the challenges created by air pollution and clean air provision.

Our exhibition will also profile organisations who are offering solutions to the challenges we face in delivering improved air quality.

Early Bird tickets for this key event are limited – please use the form below to make the most of these best-value tickets.

For the latest news and additions to our speaker line up, sign up for our free newsletter, here.

Prospero House is located near London Bridge, Borough Market, and directly opposite Borough Station. The venue features a ground-level entrance and comprises 24 unique meeting rooms across three floors and is ideal for public sector conferences and events.

The venue is centrally located and easily accessible from both the North and South of the River Thames. On the day itself the catering will be another highlight as we will be providing an arrival mini-continental breakfast, unlimited tea and coffee with snacks throughout the day and unique ‘bento boxes’ for the networking lunch.

The Air Quality News team are really excited with this change of venue for 2024 and very much look forward to welcoming all our speakers, delegates, exhibitors and sponsors for another informative and busy networking event – the highlight on the Air Quality News calendar.

Confirmed speakers 

Sarah Legge, Chair of EPIC’s Task Group on Air Quality and Climate Change Guidance 

Sarah is the Chair of the Task Group on Air Quality and Climate Change Guidance for EPIC, the Environmental Policy Implementation Community at the Institution of Environmental Sciences. Sarah is an air pollution specialist with over 28 years’ experience, ranging from policy development, evaluation, and implementation to technical air quality work, and linking with sustainable transport, the built environment and climate change work. She is an Associate Director at ARUP, has run her own consultancy working with public and private sectors, and was previously Head of Air Quality at the Greater London Authority. Sarah has a particular interest in the intersection of air quality and other issues, particularly climate change and health

Christopher Hammond, Chief Executive for UK100

Christopher Hammond is the Chief Executive for UK100. UK100 is a cross-party membership organisation that supports the most ambitious councils to go further and faster on their Net Zero and Clean Air targets.

Since joining in 2021, the network has doubled and launched two new ambitious programmes. The Climate Leadership Academy and Local Power in Action. In 2023, the Membership Team which he created, was shortlisted for ‘Team of the Year’ in the Edie Sustainable Leadership Awards. 

Previously, Christopher served as the elected Leader of Southampton City Council from 2018-2021. During his tenure as a councillor (2013-2022), he brokered an agreement that led to the country’s first commercial Shore Power facility and devised a Green City Charter subsequently signed by 75 major city organisations. In 2020, he was shortlisted for ‘Leader of the Year’ at the LGIU Councillor Awards.

Simon Birkett, Clean Air in London

Simon Birkett is the Founder and Director of Clean Air in London. He has championed full compliance with the World Health Organisation’s most recent air quality guidelines since 2006 to protect public health and the climate.  Simon was the first and only air pollution stakeholder on UNEP’s High Level Inter-Governmental and Stakeholder Advisory Group for its Sixth Global Environment Outlook between 2015 and 2019.  This was the top steering group for the United Nations’ most comprehensive report on the global environment since 2012. 

Simon also Chairs the Knightsbridge Neighbourhood Forum which produced the first ‘made’ neighbourhood plan in central London in December 2018.  Simon has a strong following on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) (@CleanAirLondon) and has been interviewed and quoted by hundreds of media channels nationally and internationally over more than 15 years.

Fiona Coull, Cross River Partnership

Fiona manages Cross River Partnership’s (CRP) Smarter Greener Logistics. CRP is a public-private, not-for-profit partnership, that has been delivering positive change for London’s residents, businesses and visitors for 30 years.

CRP is currently delivering a range of projects in London, all of which aim to improve air quality and make London a nicer place to live. CRP’s SGL programme is a Defra-funded project that aims to minimise the impact of freight on noise, air quality, traffic and pavement space in London by making improvements across 14 London boroughs and two London Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). The programme also involves increasing the viability of river freight.

Prior to working at CRP, Fiona worked as a consultant on several sustainable transport and Air Quality projects, including the Mayor’s School Air Quality Audit Programme, an initiative aimed at reducing emissions and exposure at 50 primary schools in some of London’s most polluted areas.

Diana Varaden, Imperial College London

With a decade of experience in participatory research, Dr Varaden has led numerous citizen science projects, including the successful Breathe London wearables study, which actively engaged children in research, enabling the collection of a large and unique data set. It simultaneously increased children’s awareness of air pollution, fostering positive changes in their behaviours to reduce exposure.

Dr Varaden is currently deeply involved in the development and delivery of the engagement, involvement, and participatory strategy for the WellHome study, a community-based research project dedicated to investigating indoor air pollution. Her work underscores the importance of involving non-experts in research and promoting public engagement in health and environmental issues.

John Galsworthy, Director for Climate and Transport, Hammersmith & Fulham Council

John will present a case-study on how LB of Hammersmith and Fulham have implemented one of Europe’s largest air quality monitoring networks to collect street-level data on air pollution trends, achieving significant environmental outcomes through their pollution reduction scheme.

John has over 20 years of experience working in local authorities and is currently the Director of Climate and Transport in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Originally starting in civil engineering, he has migrated towards senior management of large services with a multidisciplined workforce.

With a strong focus on technology solutions for local government in the public realm field (Parking/Traffic, Highways, Environmental services, Greenspace and Leisure), John has transformed LBHF into one of the leading boroughs for pollution reduction. Directing a range of projects, from developing clean air neighbourhoods to installing one of the largest air quality monitoring systems in Europe in a high-density area, John has proven successful in tackling transport and climate-related challenges.

Joining John will be a representative from Vortex IOT, who have partnered with Hammersmith & Fulham on their air quality monitoring network. 

Panel discussion

We will be hosting a panel discussion from the leading experts in the field, where they will be taking questions on pressing matters from the audience.

Agenda

09:45 – 10:00 – Opening remarks from Paul Day, Editor of AQN, and our host, Beverley Nielsen 

10:00 – 10:40 – Simon Birkett – Clean Air in London

10:40 – 11:20 – Diana Varaden – Imperial College London

11:20 – 11:55 – Morning Refreshment Break

11:55 – 12:40 – Panel discussion

12:40 – 13:40: Lunch

13:40 – 14:20 – John Galsworthy LB Hammersmith & Fulham Council and Vortex 

14:20 – 15:00 – Sarah Legge – EPIC’s Task Group on Air Quality

15:00 – 15:35 – Afternoon Refreshment Break

15:35 – 16:15 – Christopher Hammond – Chief Executive for UK100

16:15 – 16:55 – Fiona Coull – Cross River Partnership

Below is a taste of what to expect from an Air Quality News event. This was filmed at our Northern Conference, earlier this year.