Air quality in Newham

Our road transport, planning and development strategies are now all focused on improving air quality for residents and visitors of Newham.

The Air Quality Management Area

Certain pollutants in Newham exceed the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines as well as the national air quality objectives for human exposure. In response, we issued a borough-wide Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) Order in December 2019 for particulate, and NO2 pollution and produced an action plan.

Air Quality Management Area Recourses

Map of Air Quality Management Area
Borough Wide Air Quality Management Area Order 

The Air Quality Action Plan

Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental risks to health, affecting people at every stage of life. In Newham, it is a particular concern due to the borough’s busy roads, dense urban environment, and patterns of inequality. Poor air quality is linked to serious health conditions including asthma, heart disease, and stroke, and has the greatest impact on children, older people, and those with existing health conditions.

People across Newham are exposed to pollution above World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.  Further, recent measurements showed nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels above the legal limit for the protection of human health, in areas with vulnerable residents.  This means continuing action is essential to protect health and create a cleaner, safer environment for everyone in Newham.

The 2025-2030 Air Quality Action Plan sets out how we will improve air quality across the borough over the next five years and builds on previous work and responds to the latest evidence, local data, and community feedback.

Read our Air Quality Action Plan 2025-2030 (PDF)

Annual Review and Assessment Report

Every year we review our progress in meeting the air quality actions in our plan and if air quality has improved. You can read about our progress in our Annual Review and assessment report.

Air Quality Annual Status Report 2024 (PDF)

Particularly notable measures and actions by Newham that were undertaken in 2024 include:

• Deployed 25 small sensor monitors, 3 real-time monitors, and 99 NO2 diffusion tubes.
• Launched Air Aware tool for live air pollution levels.
• Expanded Healthy School Streets to 38 zones, reducing traffic during peak hours.
• Climate education program in schools, focusing on high deprivation areas.
• BetterPoints program encouraging walking, cycling, and running through rewards.
• Cargo Bikes for Business initiative with subsidies and trials.
• 70 fully electric vehicles, 137 mild hybrid vehicles, and expanded EV charging infrastructure.
• Diesel surcharge to incentivize greener vehicle choices.
• Planted seven pocket forests and developed Beckton Meadows wildflower meadow.
• Westfield Avenue transformed with greenery and improved infrastructure.
• North Woolwich Rd Corridor and Prince Regent Lane improvements for active travel.
• £2.5 million spent on public realm improvements in various areas.

The MoL publishes an annual London wide Air Quality Compendium which summarises each boroughs report to facilitate sharing of air quality data and best practice air quality control, which has improved working across boroughs. The full report is available to download.