News Articles Archive - Cross River Partnership

In April, Emilie Dalle a Year 12 Student at Wimbledon High School joined us for a couple of days to gain experience in the field of sustainability. Hear of her experience working with the CRP Team.

“I have been lucky enough to spend a couple days working alongside the team at Cross River Partnership to gain some work experience to support my interest in sustainability and place-making.

My work has included supporting communications work for the Healthy Streets Everyday II programme which has broadened my research and creativity skills. As well as this, I was fortunate enough to be able to go on a site visit to a School Street in Kennington Oval, an initiative which will be expanded upon across Lambeth through the Healthy Streets Everyday II programme. I was able to learn about the process and outcome of the initiative and saw how it created a pleasant play environment for school children first-hand.

I have learnt a lot about careers and projects in sustainability, as well as the amazing difference that CRP is making for communities and London as a whole. Thank you to the whole team for being so welcoming and accommodating during my time here.”

A huge thank you to Emilie for all of her hard work!

As part of CRP’s ongoing fundraising activities, we continue to review live and upcoming funding opportunities. Here are a few we thought may be of interest to our partners:

EIT – Culture, Shape & Scale Programmes

Shape Funding Programme has €330,000 available

Scale Funding Programme has €660,000 available

Consequently the maximum EIT funding for prizes in this call is €990,000.

Applicable to SME’s

Projects must tackle challenges in at least one of EIT Culture & Creativity’s priority areas: audio-visual media, fashion, architecture, gaming or cultural heritage.

Link to funding call here 👈

Horizon Europe – ELIAS – European Lighthouse of AI

€240,000 available

Application deadline of 30 April 2025 23:59 (Brussels time)

Applicable to SME, startups and NGO’s

ELIAS is focused on 3 research spheres but applications are not limited to them if the proposals will address high-impact societal and economic challenges using machine learning.

Use Cases include: AI for Building Optimization; AI for Monitoring the Virtual Infrastructure; AI for Forecasting of Vegetation State

Link for further information found here 👈

Cross River Partnership’s (CRP) work is continuing on the Just Streets project. Those of you who follow us know we’ve been busy working on three exciting projects across central London:

Walking routes in Camden Town.

A School Street initiative in Lambeth.

A parklet in the Harley Street Business Improvement District, City of Westminster.

Before installation, CRP conducted pre-intervention monitoring in order to highlight benefits of each intervention compared with the previous situation. Now complete, this pre-intervention monitoring work has included lots of observational work to understand how people engage with and use the space, as well as traffic and pedestrian counts.

This pre-intervention monitoring is is part of the wider Just Streets monitoring requirement focusing on developing streets shaped by active mobility that are both sustainable and inclusive for all citizens.

Beyond this project, CRP is very pleased to be able to offer tailored monitoring services on a consultancy basis to any organisation that is interested.

Think CRP’s Monitoring and Data Analysis Services could support your project? Don’t hesitate to contact CRP’s Senior Programme Manager Fiona Coull to discuss!

CRP’s Spring Into Action campaign shares ways in which CRP’s Healthy Streets Everyday II (HSE II) programme partners and the CRP team are walking and cycling more this spring!

Spring Into Action has been promoted on CRP’s social media channels in Spring and will continue on throughout May to tie in with the Living Streets’ National Walking Month. This aims to promote all the ways that you can walk more every day by exploring your neighbourhoods, walk as part of your commute to school or work, and enjoy the warmer weather and longer days that have come as a result of Spring.

Our partners on the programme will continue to deliver exciting improvements to London’s streets, with upgrades to cycling infrastructure, walking routes, implementing school streets, creating low emission transport infrastructure and providing more green space.

We hope you pick up more local gems in London to walk, cycle, wheel or scoot – you can find out more on CRP’s LinkedIn channel.

HSE II is a Mayor’s Air Quality Funded 3-year programme that will address the issue of over-dependence on private vehicles, and the associated issues of poor Air Quality, Environment, Safety, Health, and Wellbeing. 

For more information on the HSE II programme, please contact CRP Project Lead for Healthy Streets Everyday II, Ross Phillips.

A recent report Air Quality Information System Review Report published by Defra highlights the need to make air quality data more accessible and recognisable – especially for the communities most at risk such as families near busy roads, school children, areas facing environmental inequality, older adults and those with health conditions.

Right now, data is often too complex or inconsistent. Even tools like the Air Quality Index are underused due to poor public awareness and mixed messaging.

To close the gap, we need to communicate air quality in smarter, more human ways:

Simplify the data

Work with trusted local partners

Use visuals and storytelling

Target high-risk groups

Empower community voices

Effective communication is the link between policy, science, and the public.

It’s time to move beyond technical reports and scattershot alerts and build a new standard for air quality communication that is inclusive, engaging, and above all—actionable.

Earlier this year, the University of Birmingham released a report revealing that air pollution levels in homes can be higher than those found outdoors. The study, titled “Using Low-Cost Sensors to Assess Common Air Pollution Sources Across Multiple Residences,” monitored particulate matter in three urban households in Birmingham. Common sources of indoor particulate matter include dust, cooking, incense, and scented candles.

This finding aligns with research conducted by our recent intern, Pooja Jani, who identified harmful compounds from sprays used in furniture cleaning and cosmetics, as well as issues related to mould and allergens. She noted that indoor air quality can also be adversely affected by external factors such as construction activities and traffic emissions.

Separately, local authorities are conducting studies of their own to understand the impact of poor indoor air quality. Last year, Westminster City Council (our accountable body) received funding from the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund to use advanced indoor air quality monitors to explore the connections between indoor air quality, health, and socio-economic disparities.

Understanding the relationship between indoor air quality and health is essential, especially since most people spend most of their time indoors—whether at home, work, school, or in shops. The University of Birmingham’s study highlights how indoor air pollution can impair our ability to concentrate.

The report provides several recommendations for reducing indoor pollutants, including:

Opening windows
Regularly dusting surfaces
Using extractor fans while cooking
Reassessing how your use of scented candles
Utilising air purifiers

By taking these simple steps, we can create healthier indoor environments and enhance our well-being. Prioritizing indoor air quality is an important move towards better health and productivity for everyone.

CRP would like to say a massive thank you to Pooja Jani and Marie Stobbart who have completed their internship with CRP.

Pooja and Marie joined us from Kings College London and worked across a range of CRP programmes including  Healthy Streets Everyday II, Just Streets and Smarter Greener Logistics programmes.  

They have been valuable members to the CRP team and provided insights and expertise across workstreams and site visits.

Wishing them the best of luck for the end of their Masters courses and looking forward to seeing what they do next!

Sustrans, a charity championing walking, wheeling and cycling, has published the first-ever Children’s Walking and Cycling Index. This new initiative builds on the broader Walking and Cycling Index, which tracks active travel progress in 23 cities across the UK and Ireland.

The Children’s Index reveals key insights into how children feel about active travel and what is needed for them to travel safely and independently. Based on a survey of over 1,000 children, it found:

81% want more traffic-free and quiet routes

78% want protected cycle paths separated from cars

51% want to cycle more

48% already cycle weekly

Currently, children are mostly considered in transport policy for school commutes, overlooking how vital daily active travel is for their health, independence, and social lives. The report also highlights a gender gap in cycling and limited accessibility for children using wheelchairs outside city centres.

Sustrans urges councils to prioritise children in transport planning. For example, safer crossings, cycle training, and protected bike lanes can make travel more inclusive and safer for everyone.

Understanding behaviour, attitudes and barriers towards active travel is also key to CRP’s Healthy Streets Everyday II (HSE II) programme – a 3-year programme funded by the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund.

The first-of-its-kind Freight Hub at Waterloo Station in the London Borough of Lambeth got started on Trial Phase 1 a month ago. The Waterloo Freight Hub could transform logistics across London and support a national shift to a low-carbon freight network and transport system.

There are lots of ways to support CRP and all of its partners and get involved:

Direct us to funding & sponsorship opportunities

Offer us funding, sponsorship, skills or knowledge

Maximise national government support for the Hub

Advise us on optimal procurement routes

Spread the word – share plans for the Hub with your network

Subscribe to CRP’s newsletter to receive regular updates

For further information please contact CRP Sustainable Transport Manager Ross Phillips.

Cross River Partnership’s (CRP) work is continuing on the Just Streets project. Those of you who follow us know we’ve been busy working on three exciting projects across central London:

Walking routes in Camden Town.

A School Street initiative in Lambeth.

A parklet in the Harley Street Business Improvement District, City of Westminster.

Camden Town Unlimited is in the process of obtaining permissions for cultural signages to be put along walking routes.

Lambeth Council’s School Streets team is working to put together an initial design for the School Street, run a four-week consultation, before sending final designs to contractors.

CRP is collaborating closely with the University of Westminster, our technical partner, to support the delivery of a parklet in the Harley Street Business Improvement District.

CRP regularly participates in various working groups with its 32 partners Just Streets partners. Our European partners have also been making great progress!

In London, we’re excited to keep the momentum going. We look forward to obtaining final permissions and moving ahead with the installations.

For more information contact CRP Project Lead for Just Streets Sefinat Otaru.

Archives: News Articles

My Work Experience at CRP – Emilie Dalle

Funding Opportunities for CRP Partners

Just Streets Pre-Intervention Monitoring Complete

Spring Into Action and Walk this May

A Need to Improve Air Quality Communications in the UK

Study Finds High Air Pollution in Homes

Thank You to Our CRP Interns

Sustrans Children’s Walking and Cycling Index: Prioritising Children in Active Travel

Support Our Vision for the Waterloo Freight Hub

On Track and Moving Ahead: Just Streets Progress