London’s risk from rising temperatures
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3522 Londoners have responded | 01/07/2025 - 31/08/2025
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Discussion | Coping with hot weather in London
The summer of 2022 saw temperatures above 40°C, the highest ever recorded in England. Climate change could bring hotter, drier summers in London, with longer, more intense heatwaves.
City Hall’s Climate Adaptation team wants to hear your experience to help inform London’s first Heat Risk Delivery Plan.
Join the conversation
Thinking back to the heatwave of 2022:
- How did you cope with the heat in London?
- What helped you stay cool at home or while you were out and about?
- What made it better, and what made it worse?
Thinking of this summer:
- What, if anything, are you doing differently to cope with the heat in London?
- What, if anything, does London need to help you cope with the heat?
Please share as much detail as you can. Eleanor and Annette from City Hall’s Climate Adaptation team will be reading your comments and joining in.
About the action plan
The London Heat Risk Delivery Plan will set out the roles and responsibilities our city needs to manage heat risk. The recommendation for this action plan came out of last year’s London Climate Resilience Review.
Between March and September 2025, Londoners and stakeholders are invited to help inform the action plan. Read more on our background page.
The discussion ran from 01 July 2025 - 31 August 2025
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Log into your accountHampsteadee
Community Member 6 months agoWhat Londoners need to cope with heat:
- Councils and freeholders should no longer be entitled to make outright refusals for AC (air con) installation applications from their residents/long leaseholders - including in listed buildings. While...
Show full commentWhat Londoners need to cope with heat:
- Councils and freeholders should no longer be entitled to make outright refusals for AC (air con) installation applications from their residents/long leaseholders - including in listed buildings. While heritage is important - it is useless if it is harmful to people living/working inside. Likewise freeholders shouldn't be allowed to refer to long lease agreements to completely refuse such installations from their lessees - instead freeholders must offer a reasonable alternative if they refuse an original AC installation proposal. For homes lacking any AC Tenants should always be entitled to the use of portable AC equipment overruling any contrary provisions in their tenancy agreements
- Workers should be entitled to maximum temperature at their workplace. If their employer cannot provide it - they should automatically be entitled to work from home for relevant roles, o where not appropriate - it would be a reportable health and safety breach
- As a lot more people have to keep their windows open for ventilation - nighttime noise controls must see more officers allocated to deal with nighttime noise, as well as stricter regulations on the noise itself. Far too open it is impossible to open a window just because your neighbour has a barking dog/watches a nighttime tennis match/summertime party/fire alarm battery expiring, and the council either has no officers available until the day after, or they don't consider the nuisance to be breaching the enforcement threshold
- Similar to Singapore - open containers/reservoirs/puddles of any liquid should no longer be allowed and enforceable as a "noise nuisance" by local councils. Currently unscrupulous neighbours put out buckets of water outside their homes for weeks on end breeding mosquitoes, so everyone around them cannot safely keep their windows open for ventilation, having to suffer from extra heat exposure
Show less of commentShannon Williams
Community Member 6 months agoPublic transport was/is horrendous. No air con on most services and the newer buses have a meager amount of air blowing, that makes no difference at all.
Tubes are boiling, claustrophobic and dirty. Dreadful to travel on.
All London transport...
Show full commentPublic transport was/is horrendous. No air con on most services and the newer buses have a meager amount of air blowing, that makes no difference at all.
Tubes are boiling, claustrophobic and dirty. Dreadful to travel on.
All London transport has to be assessed to help the health of its users in these horrible heatwaves.
Show less of commentstorm
Community Member 6 months agoAlthough our newer bus fleet is generally great for winter they prove not to be so good in summer. More like mobile ovens on some days. Especially when busy. The problem is no forced air ventilation that you use to get on the original...
Show full commentAlthough our newer bus fleet is generally great for winter they prove not to be so good in summer. More like mobile ovens on some days. Especially when busy. The problem is no forced air ventilation that you use to get on the original routemaster. They should fit air scoops on the side of buses ( e.g. those with a sliding window opener design),this would force air into the bus rather than just pass along the outside. You could probably put them on the pull open window flap design as well. A few holes or gaps in the base of the scoop would allow rain and sleet/ snow to melt awy during winter periods.
Show less of commentjohnnyrsb
Community Member 6 months agoThere should be a cross over to the housing survey here. There is significant pressure to build new houses, including affordable. This will create 2 areas of pressure:
- the standard of the houses built - surely these need to be sustainable...
Show full commentThere should be a cross over to the housing survey here. There is significant pressure to build new houses, including affordable. This will create 2 areas of pressure:
- the standard of the houses built - surely these need to be sustainable and energy efficient? They also need to be heatwave sympathetic.
- we will see some of them built on land currently occupied by green space. This could end up reducing the impact of tree planting. I've asked Bromley council how this might impact them but I have been ignored 3 times.
Show less of commentjohnnyrsb
Community Member 6 months agoTravelling around London there is no doubt that the older tube stock is totally unfit for purpose. Appreciate it is expensive but until new carriages with a/c can be provided people will continue to struggle during journeys.
The same...
Show full commentTravelling around London there is no doubt that the older tube stock is totally unfit for purpose. Appreciate it is expensive but until new carriages with a/c can be provided people will continue to struggle during journeys.
The same applies to older buses probably more a problem in outer boroughs. I took a 15 minute journey on the 314 and was dripping!
Show less of commentbenmike.2007
Community Member 6 months agoThis weather is lovely. Moaning about it is probably part of the culture. Sending out a survey right now is very manipulative, as the weather was very summery indeed. I can just see a lot of money wasted again in useless initiatives...
Show full commentThis weather is lovely. Moaning about it is probably part of the culture. Sending out a survey right now is very manipulative, as the weather was very summery indeed. I can just see a lot of money wasted again in useless initiatives, created by people who need to tick a box in their performance review.
Show less of commentSumptiousPangolin
Community Member 6 months agoYou are aware that thousands of elderly people are quite literally dying due to excessive heat complicating their health conditions?
Show full commentYou are aware that thousands of elderly people are quite literally dying due to excessive heat complicating their health conditions?
Show less of commentlivehere
Community Member 6 months agoThis weather is lovely, but also dangerous for many people. And it will only get hotter. Our buildings are not designed for keeping people cool (or warm in winter), and many regulations prevent people from making the changes that are needed...
Show full commentThis weather is lovely, but also dangerous for many people. And it will only get hotter. Our buildings are not designed for keeping people cool (or warm in winter), and many regulations prevent people from making the changes that are needed to keep them cooler/warmer. Where I live, we cannot install heat pumps or air con, because of visual effect and the noise. We cannot put shutters outside the windows. The landlord won't insulate the buildings or the flats.
Show less of commentAnita Klein
Community Member 6 months agoMore trees, solar panels on all bus roofs to provide aircon, and bring back some more un-heated lidos with trees for shade
Farinaman
Community Member 6 months agoRemove all the advertising screens that are now all over the Underground. I understand they generate income but each one of them also gives off heat, contributing to the unbearable conditions in tunnels, on platforms and on trains.
johnnyrsb
Community Member 6 months agoI'd be interested to know by how much and whether conditions would be bearable without the screens. I suspect it is fractions.
Show full commentI'd be interested to know by how much and whether conditions would be bearable without the screens. I suspect it is fractions.
Show less of commentedward milner
Community Member 6 months agoAll Boroughs should be planning a good deal of treeplanting especially in streets, both in the ground and in large pots. The local campaign here (Oakfield Avenue N8) to prevent the felling of a mature plane tree shows the opposition from...
Show full commentAll Boroughs should be planning a good deal of treeplanting especially in streets, both in the ground and in large pots. The local campaign here (Oakfield Avenue N8) to prevent the felling of a mature plane tree shows the opposition from commercial firms (insurance for example) to sensible greening, and maintenance of greening in our streets.
Show less of commentjohnnyrsb
Community Member 6 months agothere are some sensible objections e.g. subsidence but it all depends on which tree you plant. I'm not an expert but I am sure there are specific trees which do not have deep roots or which can be managed.
Show full commentthere are some sensible objections e.g. subsidence but it all depends on which tree you plant. I'm not an expert but I am sure there are specific trees which do not have deep roots or which can be managed.
Show less of commentraymondgregory
Community Member 6 months agoFit a/c in all public transport a
raymondgregory
Community Member 6 months agoBought loose fighting clothes , had a midday cold bath, did gardening pr 10.00 am. Bulk cooked and ate cold meats and salads.
Drew curtains downstairs left all upstairs windows open
Doing the above, visitors wanting a barbecue made it worse...
Show full commentBought loose fighting clothes , had a midday cold bath, did gardening pr 10.00 am. Bulk cooked and ate cold meats and salads.
Drew curtains downstairs left all upstairs windows open
Doing the above, visitors wanting a barbecue made it worse
Bought a small pool for £50 which will be used under a sunbrella. London needs to talk with air conditioning companies and get a good price on one robust stand alone a.c.unit that is affordable
Show less of commentMikeTrees
Community Member 6 months agoImportant but not mentioned in the survey is to retrofit buses and tube trains and stations with air conditioning (providing it is powered by renewable energy).
JezzaLondon
Community Member 6 months agoWhy don't all TFL vehicles have photovoltaic cells added to them, this would reduce cost and heat
Show full commentWhy don't all TFL vehicles have photovoltaic cells added to them, this would reduce cost and heat
Show less of commentDirkSA
Community Member 6 months agoThe peak power output of a standard PV panel is 450W, briefly achievable around noon, decreasing with age, higher ambient temperature and poor quality of manufacture, not to mention dirt build-up (pigeon poop). Effective air-conditioning of...
Show full commentThe peak power output of a standard PV panel is 450W, briefly achievable around noon, decreasing with age, higher ambient temperature and poor quality of manufacture, not to mention dirt build-up (pigeon poop). Effective air-conditioning of a TFL bus requires more panels than would fit on the bus. These will also be prone to plenty of mechanical damage when the bus rubs against tree branches, but the Greens may believe differently of course.
Show less of commentJezzaLondon
Community Member 6 months agoSTOP lories delivering in London between 6am - 7pm, they can deliver at night. This would create employment, lower congestion and heat during the day
REITMANPAUL
Community Member 6 months agoTotal agreement here. I have found that the countries experiencing regular hot summers and in which a siesta is a practice at the hottest part of the day, often encourage night deliveries. Perhaps this needs to be looked at if the...
Show full commentTotal agreement here. I have found that the countries experiencing regular hot summers and in which a siesta is a practice at the hottest part of the day, often encourage night deliveries. Perhaps this needs to be looked at if the prediction is similar for UK weather.
Show less of commentlivehere
Community Member 6 months agoYou forget that human beings need to sleep at night, and to relax for a bit before they do so, in the evenings. This is particularly important for children. Where I live the council, and now Mayor Khan, choose to use our residential roads...
Show full commentYou forget that human beings need to sleep at night, and to relax for a bit before they do so, in the evenings. This is particularly important for children. Where I live the council, and now Mayor Khan, choose to use our residential roads as servicing bays for busy businesses. This means streams of vans delivering, all sizes, some getting stuck on corners of narrow streets and reversing to and fro belching out fumes into our homes. It means endless huge noisy waste vehicles visiting six times a day outside our windows. Shouting, van doors banging and screeching, noisy metal wheeled trolleys, endless banging of stacks of boxes, and etc. Exhausting and debilitating. Shift this to night time ? This would make people very ill.
Show less of commentbanplastic
Community Member 6 months agoWhen these posts say 'night deliveries' do you mean more like late evening?
Show full commentWhen these posts say 'night deliveries' do you mean more like late evening?
Show less of commentlivehere
Community Member 6 months agoWe already have deliveries all day from 6am until 11pm, which latter is late evening. This is what councils permit these days. When they say 'night deliveries' they mean all through the night. Deliveries used to be up to 8pm, then 9pm...
Show full commentWe already have deliveries all day from 6am until 11pm, which latter is late evening. This is what councils permit these days. When they say 'night deliveries' they mean all through the night. Deliveries used to be up to 8pm, then 9pm, then 11pm, and now our council has quietly started referring to midnight.
And as it all starts again at 6am, that means people can only get 6 hours sleep per night.
Show less of commentldwgf
Community Member 6 months agoStop anyone, developers included, from felling mature trees then planting trees that with take decades to get to the stage to provide shade and their other benefits. Make developers follow Singapore developers incorporate trees in their...
Show full commentStop anyone, developers included, from felling mature trees then planting trees that with take decades to get to the stage to provide shade and their other benefits. Make developers follow Singapore developers incorporate trees in their plans
Refuse planning permission to those who do not follow a tree incorporation design
Show less of commentAlinaHackney
Community Member 6 months agoRepeating some of the ideas I’ve seen above and been thinking about.
Show full commentNo.1 plant more trees wherever it’s possible, sidewalks, plazas, council estates this provides shade and cools the environment plus cleans the air. Require new builders to...
Repeating some of the ideas I’ve seen above and been thinking about.
No.1 plant more trees wherever it’s possible, sidewalks, plazas, council estates this provides shade and cools the environment plus cleans the air. Require new builders to keep trees that are there or plant more trees as part of the project. Incentives for folx to replant front gardens.
No.2 air con in public transport. This needs to be a priority. While also trying to harness the heat released into electricity,a technology that already exists.
No. 3 canopy’s in areas without shade like u see in Sevilla and southern Spain.
No.4 more flexibility at work to stay home on really hot days or at least during peak hours.
No.5 better instructions on how to keep homes cool like installing ceiling fans, using blinds or shutters during the day.
No.6 capturing rain water in the rainy months to use in the drier months.
No. 7 water fountains in public transport hubs/stations
No. Make the public paddle pools and sprinklers open earlier on in the season. Install water misters in busy areas.
Show less of commentbanplastic
Community Member 6 months agoA house of mutliple occupation has just been built near me and they've virtually demolished the whole of the back garden. Just more dark brick. And front garden also paved over. A massive loss of shading, cooling, habitat. So sad. It...
Show full commentA house of mutliple occupation has just been built near me and they've virtually demolished the whole of the back garden. Just more dark brick. And front garden also paved over. A massive loss of shading, cooling, habitat. So sad. It replaced a beautiful bungalow.
Show less of commentJenny
Community Member 6 months agoJust done the survey but it didn't mention public toilets!!! If we're going to heed the advice to drink lots of water we need more public toilets!!! It's a scandal that you can't find these outside London! Every tube station and every bus...
Show full commentJust done the survey but it didn't mention public toilets!!! If we're going to heed the advice to drink lots of water we need more public toilets!!! It's a scandal that you can't find these outside London! Every tube station and every bus stop should have a drinking fountain and every station and bus terminal should have free toilets
Show less of commentbanplastic
Community Member 6 months agoAgree, the public toilets in my bororough are decrepid. Often no running water or just wrecked and then shut.
ironlady
Community Member 6 months agoWe need to plant more tree' and more cooler stopps in order to breath aand to avoid getti g hypo
Show full commentWe need to plant more tree' and more cooler stopps in order to breath aand to avoid getti g hypo
Show less of commentbanplastic
Community Member 6 months agoPlease can we get our front gardens back? Tax or parking incentives? I can't understand why councils are not tackling this. Nonsensical to put in SUDs but continue to let people pave over gardens. Gardens provide cooling, flood absorption...
Show full commentPlease can we get our front gardens back? Tax or parking incentives? I can't understand why councils are not tackling this. Nonsensical to put in SUDs but continue to let people pave over gardens. Gardens provide cooling, flood absorption, shade, CO2 absorption, pollination. Many more street trees and shrubs needed.
Show less of commentcatandmouse
Community Member 6 months agothe councils will do anything to make us pay because they are struggling so they introduce all these crazy ideas and call it tax because the government will not sort out the important things that matters in this country
AlinaHackney
Community Member 6 months agoI agree that all those front gardens that have been paved over should we returned green