Westminster schools to be protected by new ‘no-pollution zones’

Primary schools in Westminster will be protected by “no-pollution zones” under plans announced today.

The council has promised to invest £1 million in creating pollution barriers around its primary schools.

The clean air fund aims to cut harmful emissions by bringing in road closures, banning polluting vehicles, replacing old boilers and planting gardens around the schools.

The zones will be funded by Westminster City Council’s D-charge — a surcharge of £2.45 an hour for pre-2015 diesel vehicles parking in areas of the city. The surcharge has raised more than £1 million in its first nine months and reduced the number of polluting vehicles driving through the borough by 14 per cent.

The council said it will also extend its D-charge across the whole borough in phases.

Council leader Nickie Aiken said: “As parents we all want to ensure our children can grow up in a safe and healthy environment.

“Air quality is the number one concern for our residents and it is crucial that we tackle poor air quality for the young people in our schools.

“Introducing the first no-pollution zones in Westminster will cut the number of vehicles around schools, encourage cleaner, greener habits and make a big difference locally.”

This morning a letter was due to go out to all 45 primary schools in Westminster telling them they can apply for no-pollution zones in their area.

Each school will need to pick the measures that will work best for their area. The zones are expected to be implemented in the next couple of months.

Road transport contributes to more than half of the most deadly emissions and the majority of the measures are aimed at reducing the number of vehicles on the roads near schools at the start and end of the day.