Creating a healthy borough for families

Merton Council has published its consultation asking people living and working in Merton to comment on its new draft Air Quality Action Plan. Deadline for responses is 2 November 2017.

The council has developed the plan in response to a national health emergency and the Mayor of London’s pledge to cut air pollution in the capital.

Key to the draft plan is a number of measures the council could take to enhance air quality and reduce pollution. They include providing new guidance to ensure air quality is considered carefully as part of any new building development; stricter enforcement of building heating and power sources; continuing to encourage people out of their cars to cycle, walk or use public transport instead and improving infrastructure to encourage walking and cycling. Other potential initiatives include increasing the network of electric charging points across the borough and enforcing against vehicles with engines idling.

Merton Council cabinet member for street cleaning and parking Councillor Ross Garrod said: “We are one of London’s greenest boroughs when it comes to open space and we want to be the capital’s greenest borough when it comes to clean air. We have taken great strides in tackling air pollution by introducing a levy on resident, business and trade parking permits for diesel vehicles and have reduced the cost of the parking permit for electric vehicles to encourage people to use less polluting vehicles.  Now we would like to hear residents’ views on further measures we can take to make our air cleaner and a great place for families.”

The consultation is online and paper copies are available upon request.

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