London Mayor Ken Livingstone's scheme to improve the air quality in the capital are to be mulled over by the London Assembly today.

Mr Livingstone is proposing a new plan to develop a low emission zone (LEZ) inside the M25, as part of his ambition to transform London into one of the most environmentally-friendly cities in the world.

The city is already unlikely to meet its targets on reducing particulate matter and Mr Livingstone believes that vehicles account for 47 per cent of all particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere.

It is thought that the scheme would encourage Londoners and those entering London to invest in more efficient and low-emission vehicles.

The mayor is keen for the LEZ to be set up so that it can operate in a similar way to his pioneering congestion charge scheme, which was introduced to cut traffic in central London.

While there is support for the LEZ scheme on environmental grounds, there are concerns over the cost, as it is believed it will require £10 million to establish the zone in order to effectively discourage high-emission vehicles from entering the capital.

The London Assembly will be meeting with representatives from the European Commission and Transport for London, as well as environmental, transport and planning organisations to determine the feasibility and likely efficacy of setting up such a zone in London.


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