Richmond Council is to set up a group to help advise and inform local priorities in walking, cycling and street design.

The ‘Active Travel’ group is part of the council's plans to improve air quality in the borough. This group replaces the previous Cycling Liaison Group.

The consultative group will be made up of representatives from local organisations and groups that promote and support a wider spectrum of active and sustainable forms of travel. These not only include cycling but also walking and urban realm improvements.

Councillor Alexander Ehmann said: “Improving air quality is a key priority of this council and so by providing the old Cycle Liaison Group with an enhanced remit and a strengthened set of purpose, we’ve decided to reach out to organisations that promote all forms of active travel in the hope they will participate in a new Active Travel Advisory Group.

“This will help us to transform our borough into an example of London-leading walking and cycling provision, with all the air quality benefits that come from those changes.

“This coupled with a new Active Travel Unit of Council Officers, which when formed will support Councillors in the advance of cycling and walking projects in the borough. This signals a new focus of supporting healthy, non-polluting and congestion-relieving forms of travel for the benefit of all residents.

“The best part of all of these plans, is that they will all be achieved within existing budgets, meaning taxpayers won’t have to pay any more than was already planned for these important changes.