Mayor announces London’s low-carbon zones

Boris Johnson today announced areas to trial low-carbon zones in the capital, reports Envido.

The Mayor of London unveiled today the capital's first 10 "low-carbon zones", which are to receive more than £200,000 to fund low-carbon zones that include installing rooftop solar panels, electric car recharging points and introducing “low-carbon zone energy doctors”.

Johnson announced that Barking Town Centre, Muswell Hill, Archway, Brixton, Lewisham Town Centre, Wandle Valley, Ham and Petersham, Peckham, Hackbridge and Queen's Park had won the competition to be designated as "low-carbon zones".

A different approach is taken by each of the low-carbon
zones to reduce carbon emissions to showcase a range of low-carbon technologies and initiatives that could be extended more widely. Queens Park and Barking are to install low-carbon zone electric car recharging points, while Muswell Hill will work with a local retailer to install a large-scale solar array on roofs and Archway, Wandle Valley and Peckham will all focus on improving low-carbon living and energy efficiency advice to residents.

The new low-carbon zones have signed up to a goal of cutting carbon emissions by 20.12% by 2012 and have each submitted plans that should deliver a reduction in carbon emissions of over 23% over the next three years. All low-carbon zones combined cover 13,000 residential properties, around 1,000 shops and businesses, 20 schools, as well as a hospital, places of worship and community centres. Boris Johnson said “the winning entries as low-carbon zones are championing the latest low-carbon technologies, which will help us to become a leading low-carbon city."

The low-carbon zone funding is being provided by the London Development Agency and is the latest in a series of low-carbon initiatives unveiled by the Mayor's Office. Recent proposals include switching to energy efficient traffic lights, and long-running plans for a city-wide bike hire scheme.
A new London-wide low-carbon energy programme is also expected to be launched next year as the Mayor, Boris Johnson, seeks to make good on his pledge to cut carbon emissions in the capital by 60 per cent by 2025.

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