A local environmentalist has renewed his call for action after Newcastle City Council stalled plans to introduce a “School Street” outside West Jesmond Primary School.

A two-year study in 2022 revealed that particulate matter concentrations – a common measure of air pollution – around areas of Jesmond exceeded recommended limits. Outside West Jesmond Primary School, the level recorded was 12.5µg/m³ on 63 days, higher than both the EU and World Health Organisation limits, and raising concerns for children’s health in Jesmond.

Despite these findings, campaigners say measures promised by the council have yet to take place. Tony Waterston, a Green Party member and campaigner for Space for Jesmond, told JesmondLocal: “The council is moving far too slowly at a time when children are being urgently put at risk from air pollution. We were told three years ago that a School Street would be introduced, but the programme was curtailed last year for unclear reasons.”

With a School Street initiative, motor vehicle access is restricted on roads outside schools during drop-off and pick-up times. The area around Tankerville Terrace is congested with traffic from Mondays to Fridays during school pick-up and drop-off times.

West Jesmond Primary School headteacher Matt Ward told JesmondLocal, “We had hoped they would have come in by now, but we are expecting them as soon as possible. We have always expressed our keenness in conversations about a School Street and would be very keen to start those conversations again. We are behind every initiative for the sake of children and for the health of the environment.”

Following the introduction of School Streets in some London boroughs, including Hackney, Brent, Enfield and Lambeth, nitrogen dioxide levels near more than 50 schools fell by as much as 23%. Hackney Council has said it not only reduces air pollution but also encourages walking and cycling.

Locally, Space for Jesmond has campaigned for more 15 years to make the area safer and cleaner for children. The group has also proposed new cycling infrastructure, including a double-width cycle lane along Osborne Road, but these plans have not been progressed. “There are no facilities for cycling at all,” said Waterston. “Improving cycling routes would reduce congestion and pollution.”

JesmondLocal contacted Newcastle City Council for a comment, but did not receive one by the time of publication.