London Environment Strategy

The Mayor is taking a range of actions to improve the environment now, setting London on the path to create a better future.

The state of London’s environment affects everyone who lives in and visits the city – it helps Londoners to stay healthy, makes London a good place to work and keeps the city functioning from day to day.

In many ways London’s environment is improving, but it still faces a host of challenges. Toxic air, noise pollution, threats to our green spaces, and the adverse effects of climate change – they all pose major risks to the health and wellbeing of Londoners.

We need to act now to tackle the most urgent environmental challenges facing our city, as well as safeguard London’s environment over the longer term. We need to ensure that London is greener, cleaner and ready for the future.

This is the first strategy to bring together approaches to every aspect of London’s environment, integrating the following areas:

• air quality
• green infrastructure
• climate change mitigation and energy
• waste
• adapting to climate change
• ambient noise
• low carbon circular economy.

The draft strategy was published for a 14-week public consultation between the 11 August and 17 November 2017.

The draft strategy consultation had the widest reach of any of London’s eight previous separate environmental strategies. Responses were received from:

• the public, via online discussion threads, surveys, email, focus groups, interviews, representative polling, and events (2,900 Talk London members completed 5,400 surveys)
• 370 technical stakeholders via an online webform, email, letter, and events

There was strong support for the Mayor’s vision and ambitions, and there were no major areas of policy opposition. However, several consultees suggested amendments or additions to the draft strategy’s policies and proposals. These are explained in greater detail in the report to the Mayor and many have been incorporated into the final strategy. Summary reports of the Talk London responses and representative polling results can be found on the London Datastore.

We commissioned an Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) on the draft London Environment Strategy. This evaluated the social, economic, environmental, health, community safety and equality consequences of the strategy's proposed policies in order to ensure they are fully considered and addressed. A post-adoption statement showing how the IIA influenced the final strategy will be published shortly.

• IIA post adoption statement
• IIA non-technical summary
• IIA full report
• IIA appendices
• IIA equality impact assessment