News Articles Archive - Page 50 of 140 - Cross River Partnership

CRP is extremely honoured to be a recipient of Defra’s Air Quality Grant, which will allow us to continue delivering air quality improvement initiatives in the new Clean Air Villages 4 (CAV4) project.

The CRP Team is excited to be building on the work and partnerships developed during Clean Air Villages 1, 2 and 3. Through CAV4, the CRP team will work with 25 partners to deliver ambitious Freight Solutions for a Clean Air business recovery from COVID-19 across 10 Local Authorities.

As one of the many deliverables of the project, CAV4 will enhance CRP’s measureBEST monitoring tool to capture, measure and analyse pollutants (including NO2, CO2, PMs) across 25 locations identified by the Greater London Authority as air quality focus areas, which are characterised by high levels of air pollution and population density.

The Clean Air Villages 4 project will run from 1st April 2021 until 30th June 2022.

For more information, please contact CRP Project Manager Kate Fenton.

CRP is pleased to launch a new study ‘Town Centre Futures‘; an innovative cross-sector study providing practical recommendations for London’s Local Authorities, Business Improvement Districts, landowners and other strategic agencies, on how we can recover from the Covid-pandemic in greener and cleaner way, and enhance the roles of all of London’s Town Centres going forward.

The research, delivered by Centre for London as part of the CRP managed Central London Sub-Regional Transport Partnership, inter-links transport, economic, environmental, cultural and health aspects of London’s future. 10 typologies across London have been focussed on which transect London’s major centres, district centres and neighbourhood centres.

The research has shown that London has enormous value based on collaboration and innovation, and partnerships will be key to delivering a successful recovery over the next few years.

For more information, please contact CRP Project Officer Rachael Aldridge.

Earlier this year, as part of our Clean Air Villages 3 (CAV3) Air Quality Ambassador programme in partnership with City of London Corporation, we launched the Clean Air Community LinkedIn group – a platform for London’s professionals to share, engage and collaborate regarding air quality related initiatives or programmes.

Now, with CAV3 delivery wrapping up, we’re excited to announce that the LinkedIn Clean Air Community Group is opening to the Greater London community. Now called the London Clean Air Community group, we welcome all Londoners who have an interest in air pollution, solutions and improving our air quality to join, network, share and help each other in achieving our collective mission of creating a cleaner, healthier London for all.

We encourage all our CRP partners, followers and collaborators to join! For more information, please contact CRP Project Officer Stav Friedman.

This week, we are showcasing the work of CRP partner South Bank BID. Established in 2014, South Bank BID’s vision is to help create a world-class neighbourhood for businesses, residents and students alike. CRP spoke to Abdel Najid, Head of Place Management, about the BID’s recent work.

On behalf of our 250+ levy paying businesses, the BID delivers projects and funds initiatives that reflect the area’s reputation as the cultural heart of London. This includes cleaning and security services through South Bank Patrol and South Bank Clean Team, who work 7 days a week across the BID district. The BID also invests in maintaining and strengthening South Bank’s reputation with a range of audiences through the South Bank London brand. With a visitor website with over 500,000 visitors per year pre-pandemic, together with an ongoing reach of over 325,000 followers across its social media channels, South Bank London packages and promotes the best of what’s happening in our area to both domestic and international visitors, alongside longform articles on the history and cultural heritage that makes South Bank such a unique place.

In order to make sure the voices of South Bank’s businesses are collectively heard, the BID works closely with a number of local stakeholders, including the GLA, Southwark and Lambeth councils, and both local MPs on policy matters including public realm, environment, construction co-ordination, business support services and advocacy. In 2020, the BID helped to co-found the South Bank and Waterloo Management Group, whose purpose is to ensure a strategically coordinated recovery and response to the challenges created in the South Bank and Waterloo area by the pandemic. Recently the BID was confirmed as a Board member of the newly established London Tourism Recovery Board, working as the voice of industry to help deliver a coordinated London recovery campaign, which South Bank and its attractions will be well represented in, as one of London’s foremost neighbourhoods.

Also, as part of CRP’s Clean Air Villages 3 project, we have developed and implemented several environmentally sustainable initiatives to promote active travel and improve air quality locally including:

Two online workshops on active travel (workshop 1) and cycling (workshop 2) delivered for BID businesses to help incentivise employees to walk or cycle more
The installation of Vivacity traffic monitoring sensors, which not only help track different vehicle modes and their average emissions but they are also key to tracking levels of returning footfall to the South Bank
Procurement of a cargo bike for use by South Bank Businesses to make zero emissions deliveries locally
Clean Air Route Finder, which shows two routes from Waterloo station which have been monitored and identified as being 30% to 60% less polluted than more popular alternatives
Promotion of the CRP Clean Air Villages Directory, which currently shows 41 businesses who deliver their goods and services to the South Bank BID area via ultra-low emission vehicles, cargo bikes or by foot

CRP is proud to have the Port of London Authority (PLA) as partner on our ongoing Clean Air Thames project, which aims to support vessel operators on the Thames to reduce their emissions and help improve air quality.

The PLA are strongly committed to environmental stewardship of the Thames, and are driving climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives accordingly. They are reducing energy usage and aim to cut their carbon emissions in half by 2025 and reach Net Zero by 2040.

They recently hosted their Environmental Webinar Series 2021, from 16-18 March, on sustainability, innovation and change, and habitats. They have also launched a Sustainable Innovation Fund to support the development of technologies suited to the Thames.

Clean Air Thames supports the PLA’s environmental programme by demonstrating how river vessels can be retrofitted to reduce noxious emissions and encouraging more operators to green their vessels.

Applications for funding are now closed, but for more information about the project, please see here or contact CRP Project Manager Sefinat Otaru.

After years’ of work including extensive consultations with residents, amenity groups, the development industry, agencies from the public sector and many other stakeholders, CRP’s accountable body Westminster City Council will be formally adopting their City Plan 2019 – 2040.

This plan sets out the blueprint for all development in the borough – with the aim of ensuring Westminster remains one of the best places in the world to live, work and visit, and focuses on three key themes:

homes and communities
a healthier and greener city
and opportunities for growth

The new planning framework will be used to set a clear direction for developers and householders. The plan will also set Westminster on a path to becoming carbon neutral by 2040. Air pollution is the biggest concern among residents and a leading priority for the council. Under the City Plan, developers will create better green and open space as well as ensuring new major developments are air quality neutral.

CRP looks forward to continue working with Westminster City Council in materialising the many positive aims set out in the City Plan as part of our cross-sector projects to Deliver London’s Future Together.

CRP’s next Lunchtime Launch session will be held on Earth Day, Thursday 22nd April 2021, 1:15pm – 2:00pm.

We will be joined by CRP’s Business Improvement District partners Midtown BID (Debbie Akehurst) and The Northbank BID (Katherine Fleming), as well as CRP’s Fiona Coull. There’s a chance to pose questions to our speakers, and to learn about plans to ensure a recovery from Covid that is safe, green, clean and fair in these key districts of London.

CRP’s most recent Lunchtime Launch saw the publication of the Town Centre Futures report produced for CRP and its partners by Centre for London. 117 audience members participated in discussions of relevance to public, private, BID, business and community sectors alike. Please see the Town Centre Futures event recording, Q&A sheet, presentation slides and press release!

For further information about CRP’s ongoing Lunchtime Launch programme please contact CRP Project Officer Rachael Aldridge.

The CRP-managed Central London Sub-Regional Transport Partnership is launching a new cross-sector social media campaign, Places for All, which aims to educate local London residents and businesses on Low Traffic Schemes, demystifying information surrounding them, and empowering people to support measures that will improve air quality and accessibility in densely populated areas across London.

These schemes make residential streets safer and more accessible for walkers, cyclists, wheelchairs, and mobility scooters. ‘Low Traffic Neighbourhoods’
(LTNs) or ‘Active Neighbourhoods’, have existed since the 70’s, however have dramatically increased in number since March 2020, as part of TfL’s Streetspace
for London’s temporary measures to facilitate social distancing and safer travel during the pandemic, creating more space for pedestrians and cyclists.

Do you live in a Low Traffic Scheme area? Have you noticed less speeding cars down your local street? Do you feel more confident getting from A-B in your local community? Share your stories with us using #OurHealthyStreet from Monday 15th March 2021.

For more information, please contact CRP Communications & Business Development Manager Joshua West.

This week we are featuring CRP’s Project Manager Kate Fenton, who is leading on CRP’s Clean Air Villages programme.

What I love about working for CRP is that no two days are the same. I also have the pleasure of working with a passionate and dynamic team. As CAV Project Manager, my role is to oversee the delivery of this cross-borough air quality programme. This involves building positive working relationships with the funder and project partners, mobilising the team and ensuring targets are hit; all with the bottom line of improving air quality. Here is a sample of what my day looks like:

Firstly I check emails and Teams messages, then attend a brief internal meeting to agree on content for the promotion of our Clean Air Routes. I then meet with a colleague to brainstorm ideas on how to run a meeting with three major museums who we conducted a deliveries audit with. After lunch I attend an active travel webinar and provide a short presentation about the CAV project. Next, I examine a draft of a case study we are working on and provide feedback. I then work on some costings for a piece of work that one of CRP’s members would like us to deliver next financial year. I have another meeting, this time with one of our project partners, to provide an update and ensure they are happy with progress. I then catch up with one of the members of the team to come up with ideas to further recruit organisations to use cargo bike schemes that we are managing. In and amongst this I do my best to keep on top of emails and find time to make a few cups of tea!

CRP watched the 3rd March 2021 Budget announcements closely, along with every other organisation, business and household in the country. While the support for jobs and livelihoods is welcome in the short term, there are still many unanswered questions about the more medium term prospects.

Of course there are many more things that will continue to be lobbied for, but at least we all now have clarity about the short term parameters within which we will operate, as we move into the next phase of living with COVID-19.

Archives: News Articles

Clean Air Villages 4: Coming Soon to a Borough Near You!

Town Centre Futures Report Launch

Clean Air Community LinkedIn Group: Open to All

CRP’s Spotlight On: South Bank BID

Clean Air Thames and Port of London Authority

Westminster City Council’s City Plan 2019 – 2040

Earth Day: Successful Sustainable Development in London

Places for All Campaign

CRP’s Spotlight On: Kate Fenton

Budget 2021