The Mayor was speaking after joining teams from Bluesky Landscaping Company and Kenson Highways at Silvertown for the tree-planting event
Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, has reinforced the borough’s commitment to cleaner air and a greener future by planting the first trees in a new 200-tree pocket forest at North Woolwich Road, Silvertown.
Speaking at the event, the Mayor said improving air quality was vital for everyone who lives, works, or visits Newham.
“Greener streets are healthier streets, improving the quality of the air we breathe means longer, healthier lives for our residents, but especially that of our children,” she said.
“That is why I believe in our commitment to create a zero-carbon future for our borough,” she said. “This project has seen us plant nearly 200 trees as part of our pocket forest, helping to reduce pollution in the air and making our streets more pleasant.”
Newham currently faces some of the highest levels of toxic pollution in England, much of it caused by traffic. As a result, the borough records the highest number of deaths in the country linked to air pollution, with 96 residents dying prematurely each year. Newham also has the highest rate of child hospital admissions due to asthma-related conditions.
The Mayor pointed out that many of Newham’s older neighbourhoods are located by busy main roads, and that residential streets are often used as ‘rat-runs’ by vehicles from outside the borough. She also emphasised that while air pollution does not respect borough boundaries and some causes are beyond the Council’s direct control, decisive local action is essential.
“That is why I believe in our commitment to create a zero-carbon future for our borough,” she said. “This project has seen us plant nearly 200 trees as part of our pocket forest, helping to reduce pollution in the air and making our streets more pleasant.”
She added that the initiative is not only good for the environment but also for the well-being of Newham’s residents, contributing to efforts to reduce health inequalities across the capital.
The Mayor was speaking after joining teams from Bluesky Landscaping Company and Kenson Highways at Silvertown for the tree-planting event. These new trees are part of the Royal Docks Corridor project, delivered by Newham Council in partnership with the Royal Docks Team, a joint initiative by the Mayor of London and the Mayor of Newham. The project aims to improve the road layout and street environment along North Woolwich Road and Silvertown Way, between Canning Town and Connaught Bridge.
The tree planting is part of Newham’s wider Street Tree Programme, supported through the Urban Tree Challenge Fund in collaboration with the Forestry Commission. In recent months, the borough has also invested £500,000 in pocket forest planting at eight schools, Gooseley Playing Fields and Newham Hospital. Grants from the Public Sector
Decarbonisation Scheme have been secured for three maintained schools, with a commitment to remove gas installations across all schools and libraries. Additional environmental efforts have included the expansion of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, Healthy School Streets and Zero Emission Neighbourhoods, funded through Newham’s Carbon Offset Fund.
Hundreds of new street trees have been planted across the borough to help reduce pollution and brighten the highways. Meanwhile, Beckton Meadows has been formally opened, featuring over two acres of resident-planted wildflowers and grasses, a Butterfly Garden, and the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Pathway.
The Mayor concluded: “This isn’t the end. As part of our Air Quality Action Plan, we will be making more announcements soon on how we aim to tackle air pollution and continue improving green spaces across Newham.”
