黑洞社区

Sadiq Khan has demanded the government grant him powers to fine construction firms that use heavily polluting equipment on sites in the capital, 黑洞社区 can reveal.

The London mayor (pictured) said clean or retrofitted construction equipment is vital to 鈥減rotecting the health of all Londoners鈥�. Khan鈥檚 team at City Hall has asked officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to devolve the power as part of a revised air quality plan.

The news comes as London issued a 鈥渧ery high鈥� air pollution warning for the first time this week, with the rise in toxicity blamed on cold, calm and settled weather, meaning winds were not dispersing local pollutants.

Last year the High Court gave the government until April to produce an updated draft air quality plan. Its previous plan was ruled to have not cut nitrogen dioxide to legal levels in the 鈥渟hortest possible time鈥�.

Currently, London boroughs tackle polluting equipment on construction sites through the planning system but they cannot issue fines. Khan鈥檚 team wants to ape the low-emission zones used by TfL to reduce the use of diesel-powered commercial vehicles in London.

In those zones, non-compliant vans can be fined 拢100 a day, while heavier vehicles using diesel can be penalised 拢200. Khan鈥檚 plan would apply to a range of equipment from cranes to diggers such as JCBs but the level of fines has not yet been decided.

The fine would not be so punitive as to make it economically unviable to bring in construction equipment needed for only a short time, such as piledrivers. It is accepted that the cost of retrofitting some rarely used equipment can be prohibitively expensive but the fine would be sufficient to encourage the use of clean kit needed regularly on site. 

The mayor鈥檚 experts estimate that equipment emissions can be reduced by 70% if existing London Plan standards controlling emissions on building projects are extended to cover equipment are and used to determine fines. Around 15% of particulate pollution in the capital is the result of construction and demolition work.

Khan told 黑洞社区: 鈥淭ackling London鈥檚 filthy air is one of my main priorities. Construction is a major source of pollution in the capital, responsible for about 7% of NOx [nitrogen oxide] emissions. I have asked for new powers so I can introduce a strong new low-emission zone for construction machinery to ensure that only clean or retrofitted construction plant is used, protecting the health of all Londoners 鈥�

鈥淚n quashing the government鈥檚 air quality plan for the second time, the High Court was clear government must do more. A first step would be to give me these new powers through a new 21st-century Clean Air Act.鈥�

A government spokesperson said: 鈥淲e are firmly committed to improving the UK鈥檚 air quality and cutting harmful emissions. We will update our air quality plans next year to further improve the nation鈥檚 air quality.鈥�