Tower Hamlets has announced the availability of a new clean air funding round of more than £120,000.

Aimed at community groups, schools, local businesses and housing associations, the funding round hopes to reduce air pollution in the borough.

The council claims that air pollution levels in Tower Hamlets is the fifth worst of any London borough.

It added that its air exceeds EU quality limits for nitrogen dioxide (N02).

This is the second funding round being opened by the council, as it aims to tackle air pollution with the community’s help.

“Our ambition is to reduce air pollution to safe levels, but I would urge residents to find out what they can do locally to protect children from the dangers of air pollution, and to think about projects that could benefit their neighbourhoods through this funding,” said John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets.

The A11 and A12, two heavily congested roads which surround Whitechapel Market run through Tower Hamlets. This brings high levels of air pollution.

Whitechapel Market alongside the A11. Credit: Fraser Simpson for City News.

Efforts across the capital are being made to limit air pollution. Last week, City News London brought to you the news that Hammersmith and Fulham council are enforcing £40 fines to drivers who leave their engines idling.

Health problems

According to Tower Hamlets’ 2018 air quality report, by 2020 the borough’s highly-populated areas will be home to nearly double the EU limit of N02.

Map outlining levels of Nitrogen Dioxide in Tower Hamlets by 2020. Credit: Tower Hamlets Council

And with dangerous levels of air pollution, the health of Tower Hamlets’ residents is put at risk.

Hayley De Beers is a creative director who moved from Devon to Tower Hamlets, where she lived for eight years.

Having moved to the area, she began suffering severe chest problems.

Hayley was eventually diagnosed with Costochondritis, a severe inflammation of the cartilage in the chest.

Hayley believes her illness was caused solely from the borough’s emission-filled air.

“I started off getting serious cases of bronchitis from out of nowhere. I’ve never had anything like that before. I then started getting routine chest infections – about three a year, particularly in the summer.

“By the end of my time in London, I was using inhalers and anti-inflammatory medicine as my chest got so bad,” added Hayley.

Since moving to the countryside, Hayley has suffered no health problems. She feels the £120,000 from Tower Hamlets council is just “a drop in the ocean” in combatting air pollution.

“Certainly for an area like Tower Hamlets, where it’s so densely populated and there are a lot of children, who will need a lot more investment to protect them.

“The council need to look at limiting congestion in Zones 1 and 2 particularly, maybe introducing more hybrid cars,” suggested Hayley.

Behaviour change

Alex Jeremy is head of partnerships at Poplar Harca, a housing association which owns around over 9,500 homes, shops and local spaces in Tower Hamlets.

They received £10,000 earlier this year from the council’s first round of funding to tackle air pollution.

Using the money the company aim to undertake three initiatives to lower local emissions:

  • Install pollution absorbing plants and mosses at its new offices.
  • Staff will be encouraged to swap their cars for cbicycles, with funding for battery powered bikes.
  • Battery-powered landscaping equipment will be trialled with funding to replace 30 diesel tools.

But despite the financial investment, Alex believes it will take more than money to reduce air pollution over the long-term.

“£10,000 is a lot of money, but there is only so much you can with that. Real change to air pollution will come with behavioural change, both at a national level and at policy level too.”

Applications for funding are open and close on 31 December 2018.

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