Three new air quality monitors have been installed across London Heritage Quarter, offering the public greater insight into the air they breathe every day. Tracking levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide, two of the most harmful pollutants in city environments, the monitors provide live data through the Breathe London Communities platform and will soon appear on Westminster City Council’s near real-time air quality map.

The monitors have been installed in Parliament Square, Northumberland Avenue, and Bridge Street through a collaboration between London Heritage Quarter (LHQ), Imperial College London’s Environmental Research Group, and Westminster City Council. The project is part of a wider commitment to create healthier public spaces and support behaviour change that reduces emissions. We were delighted to welcome Councillor Ryan Jude, Westminster City Council, Cabinet Member for Climate, Ecology and Culture to see the first monitor being installed at near Embankment underground station.

LHQ brings together the Victoria, Victoria Westminster, Whitehall, and Northbank Business Improvement Districts, covering a 193-hectare stretch from Victoria to Aldwych. It’s an area rich in London icons – from theatres and galleries to restaurants, museums, and historic landmarks.

The monitoring programme supports LHQ’s recently launched Sustainability Action Plan, developed with sustainability consultancy Bioregional, which calls for greater public engagement with local air quality data. The findings will help shape future projects across the Quarter – from street redesigns to smarter freight and delivery systems – that reduce congestion and support cleaner air.

This work also feeds directly into Westminster City Council’s new Air Quality Action Plan 2025–2040, contributing to a broader strategy for tackling pollution and protecting public health across central London.

Alison Gregory, LHQ’s Director of Placeshaping and Sustainability, said: “The BIDs that make up London Heritage Quarter have delivered air quality projects for several years and promoted the business benefits of better air quality. The newly installed air quality monitors provide another important aspect to our work and we are delighted to work with Breathe London Collaboration to make more air quality information available as part of our work to improve air quality in the quarter and in Westminster.”