A new bike shed has been built at the Cherbourg Campus
The new shed will enable more pupils to cycle to school
Pupils at Crestwood Community School (Cherbourg Campus) in Eastleigh are set to get on their bikes and to do their bit for improving air quality in the Borough at the same time.
A newly built bike shed has a storage capacity for a total of 120 bikes in a secure facility which aims to encourage pupils to cycle to school.
As well as boosting pupil fitness, it is hoped the new cycling facilities will also improve air quality in Eastleigh.
Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC) helped the school to pay for the shed using a Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) active transportation grant, as well as finding the correct contractor and design to deliver the project.
The new shed has increased the bicycle storage at the campus by more than eight times.
Cllr Rupert Kyrle, Eastleigh Borough Council’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “This wonderful new facility means that not only will pupils be able to store their bikes securely, but it will encourage more students to cycle to school.
“Cycling has health benefits for students, plus it cuts down on vehicle emissions and congestion which has wider benefits for the local community.”
Headteacher of Crestwood School, Krista Dawkins, added: “We have an excellent relationship with Eastleigh Borough Council and we would like to thank them for their help in making this project happen in time for the start of the new term.”
In July, it was revealed that Eastleigh residents can now breathe more easily – thanks to a considerable improvement in air quality in the Borough.
Fewer older vehicles on the road, cleaner emissions from newer vehicles and an increasing use of electric vehicles are being cited as among the reasons for the significant improvement in air quality along either side of a stretch of the M3.
An Air Quality Management Area 2 (AQMA) was declared by the government along either side of the M3 between Junctions 12 and 14 in 2006.
However, between 2019 and 2024, the area was well below the national limits, and therefore it was revoked as per the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) requirements to rescind this AQMA along the stretch of motorway that runs through Eastleigh.
There has been a year-on-year decline in the concentration of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2).
Following the revocation of the AQMA number two, Eastleigh Borough Council will continue to monitor air quality in this area.
Pictured: Cllr Rupert Kyrle from Eastleigh Borough Council, Headteacher of Crestwood Community School, Krista Dawkins, and the school's site manager, Alan Hussey, as well as pupils.
To find out more about air quality in Eastleigh and a further link to the data, please visit https://www.eastleigh.gov.uk/environment/environmental-health/pollution/air-quality/air-quality-monitoring