The Environment and Community Services Portfolio Briefing meeting was scheduled to receive an update on Bromley's air quality for the year 2025. The primary focus was the Annual Status Report, which details monitoring results and progress on the council's Air Quality Action Plan.

Annual Status Report for Year 2025 – Reporting on Bromley's Air Quality

The meeting was scheduled to consider the Annual Status Report (ASR) for 2025, which details the air quality monitoring results across the London Borough of Bromley¹. This report is a statutory requirement for local authorities under the London Local Air Quality Management (LLAQM) framework. The ASR for 2025 was intended to inform members of the Environment and Community Services Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee about the air quality monitoring data collected throughout the year and to demonstrate progress made in implementing actions outlined in the council's Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) 2020-2025, which has been extended to 2026.

The report indicated that air quality in Bromley generally remained good, with monitored concentrations of key pollutants below the relevant UK Air Quality Objectives². Specifically, the annual mean concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) at the Harwood Avenue automatic monitoring station decreased from 20.0 µg m^-3 in 2024 to 17.0 µg m^-3 in 2025. All 32 diffusion tube monitoring locations also reported annual mean NO₂ concentrations below the objective of 40.0 µg m^-3.

While particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) levels remained compliant with national standards, there was an increase in concentrations compared to 2024. The annual mean PM₁₀ concentration was 18.0 µg m^-3, and the annual mean PM_2.5 concentration was 12.0 µg m^-3. The report noted that Bromley continues to maintain a borough-wide Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) for nitrogen dioxide, despite current monitoring data showing compliance, to ensure continued improvement and public health protection.

Key progress highlighted in the ASR included the accreditation of 87 schools under the STARS programme, continued public health messaging on clean air, the completion of the Treemendous tree planting programme with 5,000 additional street trees planted between 2021 and 2025, and the ongoing application of planning controls for air quality. The AQAP itself is undergoing review in 2026, with a formal consultation planned for later in the year, aiming for the implementation of a new plan in January 2027.

The report was presented for information only, with the recommendation that the Committee note its contents. The financial implications were stated as nil cost, with ongoing costs covered within the approved AQAP. The report also detailed legal requirements, personnel involved, and the positive impact on vulnerable adults and children, health and wellbeing, the local economy, and carbon reduction.