NEW AIR QUALITY MONITORS INSTALLED ACROSS LONDON HERITAGE QUARTER TO IDENTIFY AND HELP TACKLE POLLUTION HOTSPOTS
Three new air quality monitors have been installed across London Heritage Quarter, offering the public greater insight into the air they breathe every day. Tracking levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide, two of the most harmful pollutants in city environments, the monitors provide live data through the Breathe London Communities platform and will soon appear on Westminster City Council’s near real-time air quality map.
The monitors have been installed in Parliament Square, Northumberland Avenue, and Bridge Street through a collaboration between London Heritage Quarter (LHQ), Imperial College London’s Environmental Research Group, and Westminster City Council. The project is part of a wider commitment to create healthier public spaces and support behaviour change that reduces emissions. We were delighted to welcome Councillor Ryan Jude, Westminster City Council, Cabinet Member for Climate, Ecology and Culture to see the first monitor being installed at near Embankment underground station.
LHQ brings together the Victoria, Victoria Westminster, Whitehall, and Northbank Business Improvement Districts, covering a 193-hectare stretch from Victoria to Aldwych. It’s an area rich in London icons – from theatres and galleries to restaurants, museums, and historic landmarks.
The monitoring programme supports LHQ’s recently launched Sustainability Action Plan, developed with the purpose-led sustainability consultancy Bioregional, which calls for greater public engagement with local air quality data. The findings will help shape future projects across the Quarter – from street redesigns to smarter freight and delivery systems – that reduce congestion and support cleaner air.
This work also feeds directly into Westminster City Council’s new Air Quality Action Plan 2025–2040, contributing to a broader strategy for tackling pollution and protecting public health across central London.
Alison Gregory, LHQ’s Director of Placeshaping and Sustainability, said:
“The BIDs that make up London Heritage Quarter have delivered air quality projects for several years and promoted the business benefits of better air quality. The newly installed air quality monitors provide another important aspect to our work and we are delighted to work with Breathe London Communities Collaboration to make more air quality information available as part of our work to improve air quality in the quarter and in Westminster.”
Cllr Ryan Jude, Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Ecology, Culture and Air Quality, said:
“I’m glad to see Breathe London air quality monitors being installed in the London Heritage Quarter today. These affordable and easy-to-install monitors will provide precise local data, allowing us to better understand how air quality varies throughout the day and how we can take a more targeted approach to improving air quality in the city.
“Air pollution is one of the greatest threats to public health. In Westminster, we have launched a new Air Quality Action Plan, which is backed by comprehensive analysis of air pollution data and provides a clear roadmap to reducing air pollution level to WHO guidelines by 2040.
“Through close collaborations with our partners and a focus on collecting better and more accurate data, we are committed to cleaning up our air and creating a Fairer Environment for everyone in Westminster.”
Paul Johnson, Senior Air Quality Analyst at Imperial College London’s Environmental Research Group (ERG), said:
“London Heritage Quarter, and their three new air quality monitoring nodes, are a great addition to the Breathe London Communities network that’s managed through Imperial’s Environmental Research Group. These, combined with over 200 other Breathe London Communities monitoring locations, mean we can provide even more Londoners with hourly-updated local air pollution data via our website www.breathelondon-communities.org.
“Our neighbourhood monitoring network helps those with health issues better plan their day and provides communities with robust data to petition for improvements and change.
“The ERG has supported organisations in Westminster, including Westminster City Council, with their air quality monitoring programmes for over 25 years. London Heritage Quarter’s membership of the Breathe London Communities network is an example of how Business Improvement Districts are instigating their own local monitoring, often as an integral part of wider environmental and sustainability programmes.”
The launch of the new network was also covered by London TV here