CityView November 2017

7 ber 201

The magazine of the City of London Corporation

Decem

cityview

Quality of City life 1 Promoting The City 1 Working with London’s communities 1 Supporting culture, history and green spaces

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Issue 84 December 2017

cityview cityview is the magazine of the City of London Corporation, a uniquely diverse organisation that promotes and supports the City and provides a wide range of services for the City, for London and for the nation as a whole.

Unless otherwise stated in individual features, more information on both the magazine and online articles is available from the address below. We welcome, and value, feedback but regret that correspondence cannot be individually acknowledged.

The magazine is published twice a year and is also available to download from www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/publications If you would like a summary of this publication in an alternative format

Contents

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Business Brexit, business and beyond

Services 4 Communication, Consultation and Consideration

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Services Shared Space for All

8

Things to do Increasing the Cultural Offer

10

About the City Lord Mayor’s Show

12

Things to do Space Invaders

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Services Take a deep breath

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About the City And Finally

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CityView

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cityview Business

Brexit, business and beyond It’s been a busy few months for the Chairman of Policy & Resources. Brexit, its implications for the City and the need for business confidence in the outcome continues to dominate Catherine McGuinness’s time.

But it was also party conference season in September and for each the Chairman was taking a specific message from the business community. For the Liberal Democrats it was the need for an expansion of Heathrow Airport, long overdue but seemingly stalled in recent months.

“Increased airport capacity at Heathrow is near the top of the list when we speak to firms about what we can do to help them trade more, create jobs and invest for the future. We urge the Liberal Democrats to not stand in the way of Heathrow expansion.”

For Labour it was to argue that a possible Financial Transaction Tax (or Robin Hood tax as it has been called) would represent a significant threat to the status of the City given that it would be done in isolation from its competitor capitals. “A financial transactions tax, however described, would be a unilateral policy which would weaken our hand and undermine our competitiveness. Anything which does that could result in the City losing its number one financial centre status and putting jobs at risk. In addition, any significant changes to financial regulation would inevitably see costs passed onto the consumer.”

for international workers in the UK after Brexit. This was in light of research commissioned by the City Corporation which shows that of the 455,000 workers in the Square Mile, 32% were born outside the UK while 12% were born in the EU. The research also showed that these workers hold proportionally more senior positions in business. “While City firms are rightfully preparing their

“It is all too easy to forget the human angle and the impact that Brexit has caused.”

contingency plans, it is a lot harder for individuals and their families to plan for the future and unfair that they should be unsure of their position in a country to which many of them have contributed so much. It is all too easy to forget the human angle and the impact that Brexit has caused. We urge the Government, and EU27, to reach agreement on the status of EU nationals as soon as possible.”

The City Corporation also hosted a number of conference dinners, roundtable and fringe events specifically on Brexit and financial services with other topics including the future of London, regional devolution and an industrial strategy. 1

MORE INFORMATION

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

our key members

For the Conservatives it was to stress the need for greater clarity

Go to www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

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cityview Services

Communication, consultation, consideration With this edition of Cityview very much focused on quality of life issues, one of the most high profile projects on this theme currently undergoing a trial process is the Bank on Safety initiative at Bank Junction.

The experimental safety scheme will be in place for up to 18 months before a decision is taken about whether to make it permanent. The scheme is aimed at reducing collisions and casualties by 50-60%.

Bank Junction is almost a centre for City transport in one form or another – six streets meet here and Bank Underground station offers numerous entrance and exit points over the area. It is also a significant business site with the Bank of England, Royal Exchange and the Ned helping to add to the significant numbers passing through the area. User data collected before the scheme started showed that during the peak morning and evening rush hour 18,000 pedestrians used the junction.

Not surprisingly the high user numbers and confusing road layout led to significant pedestrian overcrowding, traffic congestion, air quality issues and a high collision and casualty record. Designed to help alleviate these issues, Bank on Safety allows only pedal cyclists and buses to cross the Junction or travel westbound on Cornhill from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday. This is when, previously, 75% of collisions occurred.

A significant communications exercise was carried out in advance of the scheme and there are over 100 road signs in the area warning drivers about the restrictions which are being enforced through automatic number plate recognition cameras. Initially, drivers who continued to drive through Bank Junction after Bank on Safety became operational were issued a warning notice as a courtesy, but penalty charge notices have been issued to those who contravene the experimental traffic order.

With the scheme in operation, less vehicles pass through the junction during the 12 hour restriction than would pass through in an hour before implementation – equating to over 90% compliance with the scheme.

Taxi drivers were particularly vocal before the scheme was introduced about the effect on their trade. But the City Corporation has argued that they are able to access buildings near the junction just as before (with no change to existing road barriers such as railings). Also, two extra taxi ranks have been added to the area in Princes Street and Victoria

Street and extended hours in place for the Cornhill rank.

An additional consultation was carried out during the summer and autumn months asking all road users how they felt the scheme was working in practice and what differences they thought it had made (anecdotal evidence so far, particularly from

businesses in the area, is generally positive). Air quality information is still being collected but the perception of air quality and noise have improved.

All this ongoing monitoring work will be presented to City Corporation Members next year prior to any decision being taken on the permanency of

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this experiment. If it gets the go ahead for a permanent operation, further options on creating a more pleasant environment for the area – somewhere people might want to linger and enjoy rather than passing through, including public realm improvements – may be considered.

Chris Hayward, Chairman of the City Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee said: “Consultation and monitoring are a key part of this trial project – not just at the Junction itself but on roads surrounding the area where traffic is being re-routed. Safety, congestion and air quality will all be considered before taking a final decision.

“Safety has always been the primary objective and will become more pressing in the future with the expected increase in the City’s working population, potentially greater visitor numbers with Culture Mile being developed and the upgrade of Bank Station by Transport for London. Another major impact is likely to be the opening of the new Bloomberg Building, between Mansion House and Cannon Street Station, which will be a significant employer and there are bound to be implications for Bank Junction as many workers will arrive via that route.”

If you have any queries concerning Bank on Safety you can contact the Project Team directly by emailing bankonsafety@ cityoflondon.gov.uk. 1

ABOUT THE RESTRICTIONS Access to Cornhill Vehicles can continue to access Cornhill via a left turn from Threadneedle Street only. Vehicles travelling westbound on Leadenhall Street can turn right into Bishopsgate.

Motorcycles and scooters No motor vehicles other than buses are allowed to cross Bank Junction, Monday to Friday from 7am-7pm.

Buses To be classified as a bus the motor vehicle must be designed and constructed for the carriage of at least eight passengers.

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

Other public realm improvements and City traffic schemes.

Go to www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/transport

Driving through Bank Junction on public holidays If a public holiday falls between Monday and Friday the restrictions between 7am-7pm will not be enforced.

Waiting, loading and parking maps Can be accessed via the Bank on Safety page on our website.

MORE INFORMATION

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ bankonsafety @SquareHighways

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cityview Services

A shared space for all More than 450,000 people work in the City of London joining a resident community in excess of 8,000. In turn these numbers are boosted by tens of thousands of visitors drawn to the Square Mile’s world class attractions.

So whether working, visiting, learning, shopping or just passing through, this means major numbers of people travel across the City every day and these figures are expected to increase still further in future with transport projects such as Crossrail designed to help cope with this expansion.

The nature of that travel has also changed over the past 15 years or so with more than 90% of journeys now made on foot and 26% of vehicles now being bicycles – something that has been recognised in developments such as the Cycle Superhighways running across London.

Not surprisingly given this substantial population, changing transport modes, the historic street pattern and its compact size of just over one square mile, the City has the highest density of active travellers in the UK. For the City Corporation this means juggling the demands of pedestrians, Tube, bus and taxi passengers, cyclists, and motor vehicle drivers in an extremely compressed environment.

Against this backdrop, more than 400 people are injured, 50 seriously, every year in the City.

Along with welcoming the Mayor of London’s adoption of the Vision Zero as set out in his draft

Transport Strategy, The City of London is working to make the Square Mile safe and secure for all road users. A number of different projects are underway to reduce the number of people killed or injured, such as the Bank on Safety project covered elsewhere in this edition.

The City Corporation also has a dedicated Road Danger Reduction team which works with other internal teams and external partners to raise awareness of risks and promote a more considerate approach across all modes of travel.

COLLISION MAP

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One example of this partnership work is the Active City network which was set up in 2016 as a way of encouraging twoway dialogue between the City Corporation and businesses about work to support safer commuting. All business are invited to join with the common aim of n i mproving staff fitness and health n improving air quality n reducing congestion n improving punctuality n improving productivity and creating safer streets for all.

Regular readers of Cityview may have noticed some of the work of the Network over the past year with Dr Bike servicing sessions, cycle skills training and roadshow events at workplaces. Other free services on offer include expert advice on developing a travel strategy; walks and cycle rides around the City; and networking events to share information and best practice between employers. A key element is to get more staff walking and cycling to work more safely and more often.

This also ties in with the creation

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of Quietways in the Square Mile which launched this summer.

These cycle and walking routes link Upper Thames Street to Chiswell Street (in Islington) and Farringdon to Bishopsgate. They pass through backstreets, parks, along waterways and tree-lined streets for those who want to use quieter, low traffic and lesspolluted routes.

building sites across the Square Mile which, with the amount of construction work going on at any one time and the high vehicle throughput, can present a high risk to other road users.

City Mark has been created to identify and recognise developments in the City that incorporate Work Related Road Safety (WRRS) in their contracts and routine working practices.

The aim is to understand which development sites use Construction Logistics & Community Safety and Fleet Operators Recognition Scheme and the levels of compliance assurance being achieved, and highlight best practices that can be shared with other sites.

At the same time, the Road Danger Reduction team is working on a behaviour change campaign aimed at altering people’s perceptions when

it comes to transport and encouraging a more considerate attitude to other road users – along the lines of a ‘City Etiquette’ guide.

As a background to this work, analysis has been carried out as to the locations where collisions happen, which road users are most at risk by location (which differs between pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists) and the reasons for those collisions.

This has shown that the biggest

contributing factor is that pedestrians either fail to look properly when crossing a road or are in too much of hurry or careless when doing so. As a result, the focus of the potential future campaign will target motorists first, given their high risk and responsibility for lifechanging collisions, and then pedestrians to highlight their vulnerability.

The City Corporation’s work in this area also extends to

To recognise best practices the City of London is including five new categories for Road Danger Reduction within the Considerate Contractor Scheme Annual Gold Awards for developments that are achieving exemplary levels of WRRS compliance. Sites that demonstrate best practice will receive a Road Safety Hoarding Board promoting the fact that the site is taking WRRS seriously and making every effort to make the City safer. 1

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

signing up for the Active City Network rdr@cityoflondon.gov.uk

MORE INFORMATION

tfl.gov.uk/Quietways

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cityview Things to do

Increasing the cultural offer Work on the Culture Mile initiative is due to ramp up next year, following its formal launch this summer, with the aim of creating a vibrant cultural area in the north-west corner of the City over the next 10 to 15 years.

Situated in the area between Farringdon and Moorgate, Culture Mile is a major project bringing together the Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra and Museum of

London, together with the City Corporation. Its objective is to transform the area, improving the venues’ offer to audiences with imaginative collaborations, outdoor programming and events seven days a week.

This comes ahead of, and in anticipation of, Crossrail’s new Elizabeth Line connections which are due to open in late 2018. These will bring around 1.5m extra people into the area and establish it as a new major entry point to the City.

Another part of the initiative is to improve the public realm around the Farringdon-BarbicanMoorage area to make it more inviting for workers, residents

and visitors alike. Links between the venues will be improved and major enhancements to the streets and wider public realm will help enliven the area which, as Culture Mile expands and flourishes, will be regenerated. This work will include better way-finding, signage, green spaces, lighting, public information and art installations.

Pop Ups have already been unveiled featuring a range of temporary art installations (the most visible being on Silk Street), gardens (see this issue’s feature on air quality in City) and signage.

Hoardings can also be seen across the area with visuals of how the area may look in years to come.

And due shortly will be a new

public realm strategy designed by Fluid, setting out how a series of connected places could be created.

This strategy forms part of a City-wide programme of public realm improvements across the Square Mile including improving air quality through a new Low Emission Neighbourhood around the Barbican and Golden Lane Estate area. It also follows work carried out by the City Corporation with stakeholders in the Barbican and Golden Lane area in recent years about possible physical improvements and linking those venues in the near vicinity.

One area highlighted for specific work is the Beech Street tunnel

cityview an outstanding design team that includes internationally recognised experts in their fields capable of delivering on the project’s ambition to create a state-of-the-art building of acoustic and visual excellence.

Catherine McGuinness, City Corporation Policy Chairman, running from the Barbican Tube station to the junction with Silk Street and the Barbican Centre and Guildhall School entrances nearby.

A lack of light and its concrete build has meant this area being uninviting for residents, workers and Barbican and Guildhall School patrons. One of the ideas proposed for the first quarter of 2018 is to host a light show but coincidentally the underpass has already received a bit of unplanned brightening.

A ‘Banksy’ appeared overnight in September and has proven to be a considerable visitor attraction – so much so that it has been protected by the City Corporation for the duration of the Barbican’s Basquiat exhibition. The City Corporation will be considering the longer term future of these pieces following the end of the exhibition.

In addition new measures to improve air quality, introduce retail units and provide better access to the existing cultural destinations either side of it are being considered before going out to wider consultation.

The Centre for Music project, which is backed by £2.5m in funding from the City

Culture Mile hoardings outside what will become a new Premier Inn hotel in the City opposite Barts Hospital.

Corporation and would form a central part of Culture Mile, took another step forward in October with the announcement of the team that will develop its concept design.

The team will be led by internationally acclaimed design studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro, whose New York and London-based team will work in collaboration with UK-based architecture firm Sheppard Robson. They will work alongside

said: “These are bold and ambitious plans, and not only would Diller Scofidio + Renfro be responsible for creating a visually striking and acoustically perfect concert hall, it is our firm belief that the Centre for Music would come to be regarded and admired widely as an iconic landmark in Culture Mile.”

The Centre for Music would contain a world-class concert hall, education, training and digital spaces, facilities for audiences and performers and significant supporting commercial areas.

The Centre would be sited on the current location of the Museum of London which

itself is looking forward to new accommodation on the site of the former General Market at West Smithfield. Its new location will broaden the Museum’s visitor profile (particularly its location so near to Farringdon Station) and aim to double its attendance to two million. Already the City Corporation has pledged £110m, and a further £70m pledged by the Mayor of London, toward the new development.

Along with the development of Culture Mile, the locations of both the Museum and Centre for Music would create a ‘cultural corridor’. This would form a natural route, especially for visitors, from Tate Modern via the Millennium Bridge and St Paul’s (and the City Information Centre nearby) into the emerging Culture Mile. 1

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

other culture projects in the City. cityoflondon.gov.uk/thingstodo

MORE INFORMATION

culturemile.london

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cityview About the City

Launching the mayoral year in style It may have started with the usual drizzle of rain but this year’s Lord Mayor’s Show enjoyed a generally dry day that inspired the crowds to turn out and cheer on Alderman Charles Bowman on his first full day as Lord Mayor.

And they were duly entertained

by Gog and Magog, numerous military regiments and bands, various livery companies, City firms and other organisations in a stream of pageantry and music.

The day began with the arrival on the Thames by the Lord Mayor in The Queen’s Row Barge Gloriana accompanied by a flotilla of boats and hearty rowers travelling to Tower Bridge and braving the early rain to arrive at St Katherine’s Dock.

Alderman Charles Bowman is the 690th Lord Mayor of the City of London.

The parade itself got off to a colourful start with representation from several institutions linked to the new Lord Mayor: the Worshipful Company of Grocers, PWC and Uppingham School – all showing creative displays of their work and role. Another early entry was from the Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal which partnered with Onside Youth, Plac2Be and Samaritans who will be working together under the Appeal banner of ‘A Better City for All’.

Discovery youth choirs. The City Corporation was also represented by a diversity float that used trust and support as its theme with a human tower as the centrepiece.

The City Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, also had a float featuring a diverse group of musicians from Core Arts, many of whom are disabled people; dancers from Ballet Rambert’s programmes for older people; and singers from one of London Symphony Orchestra’s

As if it all this wasn’t enough, the day was rounded off with the traditional display of fireworks on the Thames in the early evening as crowds lined the rivers banks to enjoy the pyrotechnics which brought the Show to an end in spectacular fashion. 1

Charles Bowman is a senior

– acting as Lead Partner and

partner with PwC. He was born

Global Relationship Partner for

in Essex in 1961, educated at

a number of PwC’s key clients.

Uppingham School (where he

Other leadership roles have

is a member of the school’s

included Non-Executive Director

Foundation Board) and

of PwC’s Tax Practice, leading

graduated from Bristol University

the firm’s Building Public Trust

with a degree in Architecture.

programme and acting as the

He joined Price Waterhouse

partner responsible for the firm’s

in September 1983, qualified

Senior Networking Programme.

as a chartered accountant

Elected as the Alderman of the

in 1986 and was admitted to

Ward of Lime Street in May 2013,

partnership in 1995. His main area

Charles became the Aldermanic

of specialism has been delivering

Sheriff of the City of London in

audit and capital market

September 2015. His mayoral

transaction services to large listed

theme will focus on the ‘Business

and multi-national companies

of Trust’.

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

the Lord Mayor’s chosen charities. www.thelordmayorsappeal.org

The City’s Schools were on display, among many educationrelated bodies, as was the wheelie-bin robot created and controlled by the Recycling team while ‘green’ of another kind was the float celebrating Epping Forest and its 8,000 acres.

MORE INFORMATION

on the new Lord Mayor can be found at www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/lordmayor

cityview

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cityview Things to do

Space invaders With its specific focus on business, the City is naturally an intense, fast-moving and pressured environment. So when it comes to quality of life, the ability of workers to switch off, relax, and enjoy the surroundings is vital to their wellbeing and the City’s green spaces play a major part in this.

There are approximately 376 open spaces totalling 32 hectares scattered across the Square Mile that include parks, gardens, churchyards and plazas.

In fact many of these spaces only exist as a result of the destruction caused by two key historical events – the Great Fire of London of 1666 and the Blitz of 1940-1.

Following the devastation of the Second World War, a decision was made by the City of London Corporation to create new gardens as well as rebuild offices and homes. The bombed-out remains of Wren churches, such as Christchurch Greyfriars and St Dunstan-in-the-East, have been transformed into secret havens.

There has also been a tenfold increase in the number of gardens and landscaped areas in the Square Mile during the past 30 years – new building developments in the City must make a positive contribution to their environment and many trees, flower beds and water features have been created as a result of this.

As well as providing space for rest and recreation, these open spaces, churchyards and gardens also provide a haven for birds, butterflies and other wildlife and help put City workers, residents and visitors more in contact with the natural world.

Improving biodiversity in urban environments such as the City is not about focusing on rare and endangered species but about ensuring that the natural world which supports us remains healthy. Plants and trees have always formed an integral part of the urban environment. They work for us by cleaning the

cityview

air, water and soil from toxins, pollutants and waste products.

They also help to retain moisture in the air and reduce the urban heat island effect.

Approximately 80% of the sites are less than 0.2 hectares in size. Together these small, high quality and intensively used open spaces are highly valued by all and offer an important resource for biodiversity in the Square Mile. There is also an increasingly important resource for biodiversity at roof top level with the addition of green roofs and roof terraces.

With all this in mind, feedback is important to help the City Corporation preserve and improve its green spaces and promote their use – especially among City workers. A snapshot survey is currently available on its website looking for stakeholder opinions on them.

This annual survey runs until February 2018 and asks, among other questions, which spaces visitors have used, when they visited, the reason for their visit and an opportunity to rate such factors as cleanliness, security and facilities (see survey web address in More Information section).

Another consultation ended in November in relation to the City’s churchyards. Many of these are popular green spaces but others are underutilised and need improvement.

The City Corporation is working in partnership with the Diocese of London and St Paul’s Cathedral to develop a programme of enhancement projects for the City Churchyards which aim to provide high quality, inspiring and sustainable spaces. This includes accommodating ‘agile working’ in response to projected increase in worker, visitor and resident numbers in the City.

Four themes were identified to capture the aspirations for churchyards in the City:

Character The unique quality of these historic green and tranquil spaces is conserved and enhanced.

Connectivity The churchyards are communicated as a public asset for people to enjoy, navigate and access easily.

Community The churchyards are open to all users, providing an accessible and welcoming environment.

Care A high standard of maintenance ensures the churchyards remain as enjoyable spaces and do not deteriorate over time.

At the time of writing the consultation had had a good response rate and the feedback will be analysed before a formal proposal for improvements is published.

To really discover the wealth of gardens the City has, their histories and appreciate the wide range of planting, some of which is very unusual, then why not join a walk with the City of London Guides, who are trained in the history and horticulture of the gardens? These experts can open your eyes to what is often hidden around you and make you appreciate all the more how these spaces contribute to the City’s quality of life. 1

HIRING A GREEN SPACE The City of London is home to small green spaces, sometimes known as ‘pocket parks’.

A number of these are well-suited to small events and are available for hire. A small event can be any event with less than 500 attendees, including:

MORE INFORMATION

www.surveymonkey.co.uk/ r/CoLCG20178 cityoflondon.gov.uk/citygardens @CoLCityGdns

n guided walks n performing arts events, theatre events or recitals n community events to involve local people n celebrations, receptions or fetes n wedding photography and events

cityoflondonguides.com YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

open spaces outside the City www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/openspaces

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cityview Services

Take a deep breath When people talk about quality of life they often mean their physical or mental health and the environments in which they live and work. The heavily developed nature of the Square Mile, its compact size and vehicle numbers, can all have a significant impact on those who live and work here, so it’s probably no surprise that quality of life and air quality have become closely linked and that the issue of air quality has joined transport as one of the top concerns of people who live and work in the City.

As can be seen elsewhere in this edition, the City Corporation has several projects linked to air quality – Bank on Safety and the Cycle Quietways – but it also has additional work centred directly on the issue itself.

Two of the most high profile examples of this work have been in place for some time now. The CityAir app was developed in partnership with Kings College London four years ago to give people advance warning of days on which pollution is predicted to be high, and the City areas known to be particularly heavily polluted at any one time. It also allows them to plot a course to their destination that avoids those areas and currently has around 20,000 users.

The City Corporation launched its ‘idling engine action days’ initiative in 2015. This was in response to the number of vehicles whose engines remained running even though they were stationary for significant periods of time.

Drivers were challenged by

IN A RECENT POLL OF LONDONERS BY LONDON COUNCILS n Over three quarters of respondents (79 per cent) said they agreed tackling air quality should be a priority issue n Nearly a third (31 per cent) felt that London’s air quality had got worse in the last 12 months. n Nearly half (47 per cent) said poor air quality has had a direct impact on their health, with asthma, breathing difficulties and coughing reported most frequently, similar to last year. n Over two fifths (41 per cent) say air quality affects where they choose to live in London. officers to turn off their engines and help improve air quality. This is a classic example of trying to change behaviours rather than simply fining people. The success of this project can be seen in the fact that not only are workers and residents now volunteering to help challenge drivers but City businesses are actively briefing their drivers to switch off their engines (including ambulance drivers at Barts Hospital). Because of its success, the frequency of the project has now dropped from a monthly schedule to quarterly.

More recently, the City Corporation was successful in its bid to have the Barbican/ Golden Lane area chosen as a Low Emission Neighbourhood (LEN), a three year project sponsored by the Mayor London’s Air Quality fund, and match-funded by the City Corporation, joining four other areas across London.

The aim is to improve local air quality by raising awareness through business and community engagement activities, reducing traffic levels, and supporting the transition to ultra-low and zero emissions vehicles in the area.

A key part of the LEN project is monitoring – both to set a baseline and to judge how, over time, the project is succeeding. A network of diffusion tubes has been installed at 10 sites across the LEN area to monitor nitrogen dioxide levels.

The City Corporation currently monitors air polution at over 50 locations and this is set to increase in the next year. Alongside a series of presentations, activities and events involving different stakeholders in the area, a business engagement programme was carried out with more than 50 organisations taking part in air quality benchmarking work.

At the same time the Air Quality Champions network was launched and a business grant, totalling £100,000, was on offer to firms to put in place innovative improvement measures.

Applications have recently been received from businesses for grants to fund a variety of initiatives, including greening

on business premises, improve/ implement cycle parking facilities, installing electric vehicle charging points, and even to support the conversion of one business’ fleet to ultra low emission vehicles.

One of the more striking examples of the LEN has been the creation of over 15 pop up air quality gardens,

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Over 40% of nitrogen dioxide and 9% of particulate matter emissions come from boilers, Combined Heat & Power and generators Poor air quality has a greater impact on mortality than passive smoking or road traffic accidents

containing plants known to have a higher uptake rate of particulate matter and other pollutants. The largest one is at the corner of Moor Lane and Silk Street and was opened on National Clean Air Day in June this year, forming part of this year’s City in Bloom campaign ‘Clean and Green for Seventeen’. Another is the new garden on the Crossrail site on the corner of Charterhouse Street and Farringdon Road and a dozen other street level gardens have also been replanted by City businesses.

Even on a day-to-day basis the City Corporation factors air quality into its regular operations.

As part of the City’s planning process, planning applications are checked to ensure developments are designed to minimise their impact on local air quality. There is regular contact with firms through the CityAir programme to encourage them to appoint air quality champions and contact with business representatives on what they can do to make a difference.

The City Corporation also audits all construction sites to ensure that the cleanest equipment is used on site and that they comply with both the Greater London Authority and City Corporation codes of practice.

And this just scratches the surface with additional work looking at ways to reduce air pollution from boilers and generators, possible improvements to the Beech Street Tunnel, resident electric charging, supporting zero emission capable taxis, cycle parking improvements and cargo bikes to reduce the need for vans. 1

MORE INFORMATION

cityair@cityoflondon.gov.uk cityoflondon.gov.uk/air @_CityAir

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cityview And finally First night out, last night out The City Corporation has committed to an increase of almost half a million pounds in funding to help tackle homelessness across the City.

The funding will support new services including specialist accommodation and support services and aims to reduce long term rough sleeping and ensure that more of those who arrive new to the streets, spend no more than one night out.

A range of new services will help the City Corporation’s outreach team, led by St Mungo’s, to deal with rough sleepers who require specialist professional intervention.

Proposals to embed a specialist community safety officer alongside St Mungo’s outreach teams will improve identification and mapping of begging activity, meaning better targeting of outreach services to help vulnerable rough sleepers and support enforcement where outreach and engagement have been refused.

If you are concerned about a rough sleeper, or sleeping rough yourself, you can report via streetlink.org.uk download the StreetLink app or call 0300 500 0914. 1

Get up to speed The City Corporation has launched a free to use gigabit WiFi network offering individual user speeds of up to 100 megabits per second across the Square Mile.

The network will require a one-time only registration, and will allow users to enjoy high bandwidth services such as video calling.

MORE INFORMATION

cityoflondon.gov.uk/ roughsleepers

To get access, go to the settings icon on your phone and click the ‘WiFi’ entry. Select ‘O2 WIFI’ and when prompted type in your mobile number. You will be then sent a code by text which you will have to enter followed by a few personal details (you can unsubscribe to emails and texts once set up) and you’re good to go.

Over 120 WiFi access points have now gone live across the City

with a further 30 locations being completed between October and November 2017, using City of London street furniture The gigabit WiFi network has been delivered and will be operated by O2, in conjunction with the City’s wireless delivery partner (Cornerstone Technology Infrastructure Ltd) CTIL, as part of a 15 year contract awarded that will transform WiFi and mobile connectivity in the City. CTIL has already commenced the building a network of over 400 4G mobile “small cells” using City street furniture, which will provide enhanced mobile coverage at street level, eradicating mobile network black spots, which exist in dense urban areas. 1

MORE INFORMATION

cityoflondon.gov.uk/wifi

Roots of conservation In November, Epping Forest celebrated the 800th anniversary of the UK’s 1217 Forest Charter – the sister statute to the Magna Carta – which re-established and protected the rights of ordinary people to make a living from common land.

The Charter laid the foundation for the 1878 Epping Forest Act, one of the first pieces of UK conservation legislation which saved the Forest from development and paved the way for the establishment of the National Trust. At the passing of

the Act in 1878, Epping Forest ceased to be a Royal Forest and was placed in the care of the City Corporation which acts as its Conservators.

The City Corporation now manages over 11,000 acres of green space across London and south east England, including Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath and Burnham Beeches, with many of its sites designated National nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest for their unique ecology and rare plant species.

The Forest is London and Essex’s largest open space, attracting nearly five million visits a year. 1 MORE INFORMATION

cityoflondon.gov.uk/eppingforest

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