About the Air Quality Action Plan

The current Air Quality Action Plan details how we intend to tackle air pollution over the period 2025 to 2030.

Our Annual Status Reports outline progress to date in meeting the 2020 to 2025 Air Quality Action Plan. Future reports will track updates to the 2025 to 2030 plan. Please see the section entitled Air Quality Action Plan Progress, in the second half of each report. Read our Annual Status Reports and Air Quality Action Plans.

Information on individual pages will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect the new Air Quality Action Plan. In the meantime, please refer to the full Air Quality Action Plan.

The plan has been split into navigable categories which are all equally important to delivering clean air in the borough:

• Monitoring of air pollution
• Changing our environment
• Changing behaviour
• Tackling air pollution
• Protecting our schools
• Community action

Appendices

• Appendix 1: Current Air Quality (pdf, 767 KB)
• Appendix 2: AQ Management Areas & Focus Areas (pdf, 326 KB)
• Appendix 3: Pollution Sources (pdf, 599 KB)

Air pollution in the borough

Air pollution in Richmond exceeds the legal objectives for both nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and PM₁₀ (particles less than 10 microns) levels. As with PM₁₀, smaller particles (PM_2.5) are also an issue for the borough, as they are throughout London. In 2017 in some locations in the borough, these were double the legal objectives and in 2018 were still too high. There are a number of different sources of pollution including sources outside the borough. Those inside the borough include domestic heating, construction and vehicles.

The overwhelming contributor to air pollution in the borough is from road transport. All exceedances of our borough are along our main roads and highways, and in our town centres.

Useful resources

The Air pollution pages on our website cover a wide range of related topics including air quality information, data and projects in the borough, suggested ways and campaigns to reduce pollution, and how to get air pollution forecasts.

Our online air quality reports include annual status reports which provide updates on air quality monitoring locations and the levels of different pollutants recorded in the borough.