Citizens Assembly among new initiatives to improve Wandsworth’s air quality

The London borough’s council has pledged to step up efforts to tackle its polluted atmosphere, including a major monitoring network upgrade.

Wandsworth Council has announced a number of new measures aimed at improving air quality and awareness of pollutants in the local atmosphere. 

The steps include introducing five new air quality monitoring stations to increase network coverage, and establishing a new Citizen’s Assembly to give local people a voice on the issue. Active travel will also be promoted through a new Future Streets plan, including a ‘try before you buy’ offer for bikes and cargo bike schemes. 

Local vehicle fleets will also be overhauled with a switch to low-emission models, construction sites in the area will come under close regulation to limit their pollution, and new projects will reach out to schools to boost understanding of the range of schemes currently available to communities looking to improve air quality, and the importance of using modes of transport other than private cars. Sophisticated mapping and analytics tools will support analyses of local risk factors and identify those most vulnerable to high pollution levels. 

Cabinet Member for the Environment, Cllr Judi Glasser, said: ‘Our enhanced monitoring network will help us assess the scale of the problem, and the Citizen’s Assembly will give local people the opportunity to shape our approach to air pollution. We must work together as a borough to do all we can to improve air quality – it’s vital if we are to prevent people’s heath being damaged, especially the more vulnerable members of our community.’

Earlier this year, Wandsworth Council announced a significant increase in EV charge stations. 

Image: Call Me Fred