The UK Government is being urged by London Mayor Sadiq Khan to give him more power to tackle pollution from construction sites across the capital.

In a letter to Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mayor Khan sets out the additional powers he believes are required to tackle non-road pollution sources.

Key requests include;

Non-Road Mobile Machinery

• More powers to Non-Road Mobile Machinery Low Emission Zone (NRMM LEZ) – a scheme that uses the Mayors planning powers to impose minimum emissions standards for machinery used on construction sites. Diggers and bulldozers are currently the second largest source of ultra-fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions in London and the fifth largest source of oxides of Nitrogen (Nox).

• Rules of the NRMM LEZ to be applied across the board to existing planning permissions and to other users of NRMM, as the current regulations mean that more than 1,000 sites are not registered and activities such as roadworks and events are not covered.

• Grant powers to Mayor Khan, or another appropriate authority, to have the power to set minimum emission and technical standards for all NRMM used in London.

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• Creation and maintenance of a DVLA-style national database for NRMM

River and canal emissions

• Instead of having five different regulators that play a role in policing emissions, simplify regulations so that there is a single regulator with the ability to charge and enforce and a single emissions control framework. The body would also be able to set minimum emission and other technical standards for specific classes or types of vessels. It would also provide clarity for local, national and international shipping accessing the Thames and canals.

Wood and solid fuel burning

• The Mayor wants the Clean Air Act to be amended to allow for the creation of zones where the burning of solid fuel is not allowed. This would complement his existing plans to create transport zero emission zones in small areas from 2025 onwards.

• Further reformation of the Clean Air Act so the Mayor can set tighter emission limits for new domestic heating appliances like wood burning stoves for pollutants such as PM10 and PM2.5.

• Give local authorities enhanced powers to ensure compliance, including the ability to inspect and enforce, such as by issuing penalty charge notices. Similar powers could also be used to address emissions from larger and commercial premises.

• Doing more to empower consumers to make the right choice, including better information at the point of sale and mandatory labelling of products that are legal to use in smoke control areas.

Mayor Khan said: "Non-transport sources contribute half of the deadly emissions in London so we need a hard-hitting plan of action to combat them similar to moves I am taking to reduce pollution from road vehicles.

"With more than 400 schools located in areas exceeding legal pollution levels, and such significant health impacts on our most vulnerable communities, we cannot wait any longer and I am calling on Government to provide the capital with the necessary powers to effectively tackle harmful emissions from a variety of sources."

(LM)