Air quality in Nine Elms improved dramatically last year compared to 2016.

Despite being home to Europe's biggest construction project, the area breached EU limits for PM10 particles 13 times in 2017, compared to 43 times in 2016.

The daily EU limit is 50 μg m-3 not to be exceeded more than 35 times a year.

Wandsworth Council puts the reduction down to working with contractors to reduce pollution.

It has set up a task force to monitor the issue and employs a dedicated construction site compliance officer who regularly inspects sites to make sure they are sticking to the air quality conditions set out in the development’s planning conditions and that they are doing as much as is practically possible to minimise air pollution. More recently the council also employed an air quality officer to work with the whole Nine Elms community, including schools, to improve air quality.

Air quality stations in Putney High Street also recently showed a sharp reduction in nitrogen dioxide levels which the council attributes partly to the introduction of low emission buses, traffic flow improvements and a ban on delivery vehicles.

Wandsworth Council's environment spokesman Jonathan Cook said: “This news from Nine Elms is very welcome, especially so soon after we learnt that our efforts in Putney have also paid off.”

“The regeneration of the borough is excellent news for jobs, homes and other opportunities for our residents, but we know large construction schemes can have an adverse affect on our air. That’s why we will continue to make sure developers are sticking to the environmental conditions we imposed when we granted planning permission, and why will we continue to work with them, the community and other partners to keep on top of this issue."