Air Quality Action Plan 2023 - 2028
Background to the Air Quality Action Plan 2023 - 2028
The London Borough of Hounslow was declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in 2002 and revised most recently in 2006. This requires the council to develop and implement an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) to tackle air pollution throughout the borough and report progress annually to the Greater London Authority (GLA).
The revised Air Quality Action Plan was approved by Cabinet in December 2023 and aims to report on the current status of air pollution in Hounslow and outline the actions the Council will take to improve air quality in the London Borough of Hounslow between 2023 and 2028.
Actions outlined within the AQAP fall under seven broad topics. Each action within the plan fits within one of these topics and has a responsible council department or departments who will be involved in its delivery. The seven topics are:
- Monitoring and core statutory duties
- Emissions from developments and buildings
- Public health and awareness raising
- Borough fleet actions
- Localised solutions
- Cleaner transport
- Additional measures
Within these seven topics, the following twelve priorities have been identified, nine of which have been put forward by the GLA as key areas for all London Boroughs to focus on:
- Promoting and delivering energy efficiency retrofitting projects in workplaces and homes
- Improving walking and cycling infrastructure
- Public health and awareness raising
- Install a network of 100 automatic air quality sensors across the borough
- Include air quality Key Performance Indicators and objectives within all major contracts the council procures
- Supporting alerts services such airTEXT and promoting the Mayor’s air pollution forecasts
- Enforcing the Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) Low Emission Zone
- Promoting and enforcing Smoke Control Zones
- Installing Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) infrastructure
- Reducing emissions from Council fleets
- Improving air quality at schools
- Regular Car Free days/temporary road closures in high footfall areas.
Please see the Air Quality Action Plan 2023 - 2028 for more information on the actions outlined to improve the Borough's air quality.
Progress against the actions identified within the Air Quality Action Plan will be reported annually in the borough’s Annual Status Reports, available on the council’s website.
Consultation
The council consulted on a draft of the 2023-2028 Air Quality Action Plan in 2023 through a combination of online consultation, forms at the borough’s libraries, events at Hounslow House and presence at Area Forums.
The feedback received through these channels was used to revise the draft document and ensure that the actions met the needs of all of our residents, reflecting their opinions.
A consultation report was produced and presented to Cabinet setting out a summary of the results of the consultation, including identifying where resident feedback was implemented into the final AQAP report.
