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Camden News - by TOM FOOT
Published: 10 July 2008

Cracks in paving plan for a greener London?

Disappointing results on scheme to cut pollution

IT always seemed too good to be true, but the idea of futuristic pavements which cleaned the air by sucking in toxic car fumes was just too tempting for Camden’s environment chiefs to ignore.
Slabs were installed in Southampton Row, Bloomsbury, with the Town Hall under the belief that a coating of reflective titanium would help clean the air.
Two years on, the science-bending project was revealed this week to have made little impact on the levels of nitrogen oxide (Nox) in the air.
Reports which have been circulated around the Town Hall and have been seen by the New Journal said: “The trial delivered insufficient evidence to prove that the photo-catalytic paving had caused a reduction.”
The deflated tone of the findings is in contrast to the fanfare which greeted their installation, which came in the wake of a damning government investigation which showed Camden was breaching European Union targets.
The Town Hall trumpeted the fact that it was, in the words of senior councillors, “leading the way” in cutting back on pollution.
The amount of money spent on the project has not been revealed.
Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Braithwaite, who has campaigned for cleaner air in Kentish Town, said: “This was a good experiment with disappointing results.
“It was however, as I remember, quite expensive.
“The solution is not single measures but a real push to get people out of their cars, walking and using local shops.”
He added: “I am sure I am not the only person who has been to the doctor with problems that are directly related to Camden’s air quality.”
High levels of Nox, which triggers asthma and lung problems, have been recorded in some of the borough’s busiest roads including main streets in Kentish Town, Euston Road and near Emmanuel Church of England Primary School in Mill Lane, West Hampstead.
It had been claimed the titanium in the top layer of the futuristic slabs had helped halve emissions in the smog-ridden Italian capital, Rome.
Similar efforts were made in Milan and Paris.
But the council’s findings said: “Studies performed by manufacturers to determine the effectiveness of the paving were not as detailed or robust as would have been expected.”

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