Air quality a top priority as Camden unveils vision for 2025

We are delighted to hear that finding new ways to improve air quality in Camden is a key shared aim of Camden’s residents, businesses, organisations and the council as they unveiled the borough’s new vision for Camden in 2025 on Monday, 9 July 2018

We recently joined students from Netley Primary School, Camden residents and some of Camden’s major institutions at a meeting of the newly formed Camden Clean Air Partnership on Monday. Together we discussed what practical steps can be taken to clean up our air — and the consequences of not doing this effectively.

The event, co-chaired by University College London, was a step towards the creation of a new Camden Clean Air Action Plan, due for approval in early 2019, and a practical example of the way people and organisations across the borough are coming together to tackle some of Camden’s long-standing issues.

They began the day by emphasising how many journeys are made into euston and Kings Cross daily and the high number of vehicles in a small space, for example, delivery and commercial, roads being out of service due to construction and taxis.

Councillor Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council said:

“Camden 2025 is our community’s vision for the borough, developed from speaking with thousands of local people about what we want for the future of our borough. These are challenging times for the public sector entering our eighth year of budget cuts but we are determined to stay ambitious for our community. Camden 2025 is about bringing together the huge energy and creativity in Camden to take on the big challenges we face from youth safety to social isolation.”

“People described their fear about the air their families breathe and the health issues they were experiencing. We will only achieve our ambitious targets on improving air quality if we all work together, from walking and cycling more to more sustainable construction practices. We are excited about what will come from a new shared approach led by our communities.”

During the design day, children from Netley Primary School gave a presentation on clean air projects they have been involved. “Our health is in your hands,” they told delegates, who later took part in a series of reflective sessions.

You can read Camden 2025 and Our Camden Plan, the council’s response to how they as an organisation will support the Camden 2025 ambitions, on the Camden 2025 website.

We are delighted that air quality is a central focus of Camden’s 2025 vision as our central focus is protecting local air quality and creating a more sustainable future for everyone.

The Euston Green Link is a prime example of how we are reacting to the rising challenge of air pollution in Central London. It will connect Euston Station and Regents Park, offering a lower-exposure route that avoids Euston Road and instead meanders through a fascinating independent business community with aromatic Indian cuisine, pubs, lunch time deals and other amenities. Our project will inject the route with leafy green infrastructure, public art initiatives and way-finding.

Find out more about our projects here.