Southwark nursery receives air quality audit

11 January 2019

Southwark playschool, Kintore Way Nursery, is among the first of 20 nurseries to take steps to address air pollution, as part of the Mayor of London’s Nurseries Air Quality Audit  Programme.

On 11 January, Cllr Richard Livingstone, Cabinet Member for environment, transport management and air quality, joined WSP auditor Glenn Higgs and nursery staff at Kintore Way, to learn about what they can do to help improve air quality.

Glenn focused on the streets around the nursery as the children arrived at the beginning of the day. He was then taken on a tour of the building and the rest of the site, before meeting with officers and nursery staff. Together they completed a comprehensive audit questionnaire and talked about the day to day workings of the nursery.

A workshop session then invited council officers and key staff to put forward their ideas and observations and to discuss preferences and potential solutions.

In addition, diffusion tubes were placed inside and outside the nursery, to be replaced once a month for three months, to record the different pollutants present.

When the auditor has analysed all the information gathered, a bespoke set of recommendations will be supplied to the nursery, advising them of the effective actions they can take to help improve air quality.

Cllr Richard Livingstone said: “It was wonderful to talk to the staff at Kintore Way Nursery and see what they have achieved in terms of improving air quality, and learn how they plan to take this forward.

“London is recognised as having the worst air quality in the UK and the council is committed to working, both through our own policy, and together with others, to become a part of the solution in combatting poor air quality.”

A further two of Southwark’s nurseries will also be audited as part of the initiative: Ann Bernadt Nursery and Nell Gwynn Nursery.

Find out what the council is doing to improve air quality and how you can help here: www.southwark.gov.uk/environment/air-quality 

Page last updated: 28 March 2024