Cleaning Hounslow's Air
Monitoring Hounslow's Air
Hounslow Council is serious about clean air, and has six air quality monitoring stations in Brentford, Chiswick, Feltham, Gunnersbury, Heston, and Hatton Cross. In 2024, these stations will be upgraded with the latest high-tech equipment to improve tracking. Residents can view the air quality data from these stations via Air Quality England.
The Council has also implemented more than 200 air quality diffusion tubes at strategic spots across borough. These tubes take average monthly readings of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels and are sent to a lab every month for analysis. Residents can check the information from these tubes in the Council’s Annual Status Report.
Additionally, extra steps are being taken to improve air quality as part of the Clean Air for Schools Framework. The Council is rolling out a network of automatic air quality monitoring sensors outside schools, with sensor data available in real time for residents to review.
In September 2023, the Council also installed a Breathe London Air Quality sensor on the west end of Hounslow High Street following a successful application from the Hounslow Borough Respiratory Support Group.
Deputy Leader Councillor Katherine Dunne joins Roger Smith and members of Hounslow Respiratory Support Group to unveil the new air quality sensor on Hounslow High Street.
Neighbourhood Parcel Locker Network
Hounslow has partnered with YEEP! Lockers to launch the Neighbourhood Parcel Locker Network, which aims to improve Hounslow's air quality by reducing the number of failed and missed deliveries, and the number of trips delivery vehicles make from warehouses to individual addresses. The installations offer a more sustainable way for residents and businesses to receive and return their packages, and will reduce carbon emissions produced by delivery vehicles.
Lockers will be initially rolled out in Brentford, Isleworth, and Feltham, with the ultimate ambition to offer convenient out-of-home delivery lockers within 15 minutes of wherever residents live, enjoy leisure time, or work.
Deputy Leader Councillor Katherine Dunne with one of the borough's latest lockers
Electric Vehicles
The Council has pledged to install more than 2,000 new charge points for Electric Vehicles (EVs) across the borough. EVs form part of Hounslow’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Strategy that aims to provide a variety of different charge point types to make it easier for residents and businesses to go electric.
The UK Government is banning the sale of new petrol, diesel, and hybrid cars by 2035 (formerly by 2030). Hounslow’s Clean Air team is helping residents prepare for the future by ensuring there are plenty places to charge electric vehicles.
Electric vehicle charging points across the borough
Greening the Fleet
Hounslow Highways, working on behalf of Hounslow Council, is leading the way with its electric vehicles (EVs). They’ve introduced:
- 6 electric supervisor vans
- a 7.2 tonne caged cleansing vehicle
- UK’s first 7.5 tonne tipper truck.
By the end of 2023, a new HIAB lorry, two new graffiti vans, and two new Highways vehicles will also become EVs. Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil - a clean, fossil-free alternative to regular diesel - is also being utilised, and cutting carbon emissions by up to 90%.
Tree Planting
Hounslow Council has committed to planting 20,000 more trees in the borough between 2022 and 2026, and increase areas managed as wildflower meadow and rough grassland to improve biodiversity.
Since 2021, the Council has already planted nearly 15,600 additional trees in its parks and open spaces, housing estates, and along
streets. More than 1,500 free trees have also been given to residents, allotment plot holders, and schools as part of the popular Free Trees for Hounslow initiative.
Cabinet Member for Recreation, Public Spaces and Parking Councillor Salman Shaheen enjoying Hounslow's Boston Manor Park
Nature Recovery
In July 2023, Hounslow Council’s Cabinet approved the Nature Recovery Action Plan that pledges to Protect, Connect, Create, Enhance, Engage and Promote nature in the borough.
Green spaces will play an important role in successful Plan delivery, with many areas in the borough being managed to improve biodiversity and protect nature and wildlife. These include Local Nature Reserves, Countryside sites, and other designated protected areas.
Where suitable, areas of wildflower meadows, long grassland, and under storey planting will be expanded to help promote biodiversity. To help support this approach, the Council removes weeds manually rather than using chemicals, which could be harmful to the environment, and in particular important pollinators.
Biodiversity improvements
