Development of Air Quality Action Plan for The London Borough of Hillingdon

The Problem

Concentrations of NO₂ in Hillingdon, a Borough to the West of London that contains Heathrow Airport and major roads connecting with central London, such as the M4 and A40, are forecast to exceed national and European air quality standards across the southern half of the Borough. The extent of exceedences in the Borough require a large number of measures to be considered within the plan. Those included in it are largely seen as supporting other initiatives in the West London area. The plan also needs to reinforce effective collaboration with bodies such as other Boroughs in West London, Transport for London, the Department for Transport, the Highways and Environment Agencies and BAA plc. Without such collaboration the plan will not be able to achieve a level of air quality improvement regarded as acceptable for local residents.

Role of EMRC

EMRC have assisted the Council in developing their air quality action plan:

• Specification of objectives for the action plan
• Identification of measures for reducing emissions in the area
• Characterisation of these measures in terms of cost effectiveness, etc.
• Drafting the plan for consultation and informing the consultation process
• Discussing the plan with Council Members and officers and other interested parties, such as the Highways Agency
• Refinement of the plan following consultation for presentation to members and submission to the Greater London Authority (GLA) and DEFRA
• Development of EMRC’s Action Plan Tracker to provide data on recommended measures including cost-effectiveness, stakeholder views and the implementation programme.

A copy of the plan is available at Hillingdon Borough Council's web site.

Outcome

The plan is currently going through the Council, and is expected to be submitted to DEFRA and the GLA (Greater London Authority) shortly.