The Mayor's Ambient Noise Strategy - Greater London Authority

The Mayor’s Ambient Noise Strategy
Mayor of London v
national targets for air quality because of the size of the conurbation and
because of the density of road traffic. The Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy
makes proposals for meeting the legal targets, and for longer term
solutions to introduce cleaner vehicle technologies.
Conservation of biodiversity is addressed in detail in the Mayor’s
Biodiversity Strategy and in the London Plan. The sub-title Connecting
with London’s Nature emphasises the social context, since one of the
main objectives of the strategy is to ensure the conservation of London’s
natural heritage for people to enjoy. The Mayor has adopted the wellestablished
procedures for identification of important habitats in London
as the basis for his Biodiversity Strategy, which was published in 2002. At
present, London is the only part of Britain where there is a statutory
requirement for a biodiversity strategy as part of regional planning and it
may provide a useful model for other towns and cities in the UK. The
strategy also has an international dimension by making proposals to clamp
down on the illegal international trade in endangered species for which
London’s airports are one of the main points of entry to Europe.
Strategic policies to deal with noise have until recently been far less
advanced than other areas of environmental concern. However, the
requirement for the Mayor to produce the UK’s first citywide strategy
for tackling environmental noise has resulted in much progress over the
past three years. This strategy sets out the main steps that need to be
taken, including quieter road surfaces, smoother traffic flow, rail
infrastructure improvements, aircraft noise measures, and improved
design for new developments.
The overall effect of the Mayor’s five environmental strategies over the
next twenty years will be to make significant improvements in our own
local environment as well as reducing London’s wider global impacts. The
strategies provide many of the essential ingredients to make London a
truly sustainable world city.
David Goode
Head of Environment