A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
Now you can measure air quality before buying
CLEAN living isn’t just about eating avocados, avoiding sugar and cutting out booze. Increasingly, it’s about the air we breathe, which is one of the reasons the proposed third runway at Heathrow has been met with such strong opposition.
Air quality is on the agenda like never before, with buyers, especially those with families, concerned about pollution levels. But the good news is that anyone can now get a report, as part of the conveyancing process, on the pollution levels surrounding their prospective new home.
Future Climate Info (FCI) — one of many UK companies that compile environmental reports for solicitors — now includes details of pollution levels.
Environmental reports, which are compulsory when buying a home, are designed to reveal flooding, contaminated land and ground stability risks.
Using a nationwide map of air pollution by the air quality measuring specialist EarthSense, FCI reports will include ratings for individual properties ranging from a ‘ generally clean environment’ to ‘ polluted environments with major implications for human health’.
Geoff Offen, managing director of FCI, says: ‘ Including pollution levels in conveyancing checks should become an industry standard.’
Pollution is, of course, most prevalent in cities or near industry. And developers are becoming aware of the problems.
Jennifer Goldie, of Savills, says: ‘Notre Dame, a car-free development in a leafy Glasgow suburb, has proved extremely popular. As the benefits of reduced pollution become more apparent and the thirst for healthier living gathers momentum, we expect to see more carfree developments like this one.’ You can do some detective work of your own. Airview, launched by Swedish air purification experts Blueair, allows you to type in your postcode or use your exact location to see the level of pollutants such as carbon dioxide,
industry fumes and viruses floating around.
The website and app uses monitoring stations across the UK to measure results and evaluate air quality, airview.blueair.com.
There are many reasons to choose a home in an area of low pollution. Health problems associated with pollution include heart disease, asthma, anxiety as well as neurological changes linked to dementia.
So where can you find clean living? A new study by the World Health Organisation has revealed that air pollution is falling in the UK but still breaking limits in certain areas.
Unsurprisingly, built-up areas are among those places with the highest pollution levels.
In London, air quality is among the worst in Europe. Yet experts say pollution can also build up in low-lying areas, such as in valleys. If you’re looking for somewhere with low levels of air pollution, EarthSense suggests open or coastal areas. Tom Hall, of EarthSense says: ‘ The West coast of Britain is a particularly good place to look for high air quality, thanks to the Atlantic air brought in on the prevailing south westerly winds. ‘ In general, wellventilated and remote areas, as well as those with low levels of traffic and industrial activity, will have good air quality. ‘In urban locations, the best air quality is away from major traffic hotspots and close to parks, generally in the south-westerly areas of the town or city.’ There are, however, things we can do in our gardens and outside spaces to help minimise pollution. Planting a hedge can help — the denser the hedge, the better it is at catching tiny toxic particles. Those living on higher floors of apartment blocks may also enjoy cleaner air, being away from the ground-level pollution.