Air pollution would cause more than half of Londoners to move away
Over 60 per cent of city dwellers have considered moving out – and in London the main reason isn't because of house prices.
According to online delivery firm AnyVan.com, which polled 1,000 adults, 62 per cent of city residents have mulled a move away. And the main reasons Londoners would move away were air pollution (52 per cent) and overcrowding (50 per cent).
Last week, London mayor Sadiq Khan issued a very high air pollution alert – the first since he took office in May.
Read more: Electric streets to hydrogen vans: How London plans to clean up its act
On every factor more Londoners were dissatisfied than the national average, with overcrowding, small sizes of properties and constant noise far bigger concerns for the capital than the rest of the country.
And with more industrial action being planned for the London Underground, it seems many have reached the end of their tether: over a quarter of Londoners said they were sick of public transport strikes and highlighted them as a major downside to living in the capital.
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Top five reasons for moving out of London |
Top five reasons for moving out of a city |
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1. Air Pollution (52 per cent) |
1. Overcrowding (35 per cent) |
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2. Overcrowding (50 per cent) |
2. Constant Noise (35 per cent) |
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3. Lack of space (46 per cent) |
3. Lack of space (34 per cent) |
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4. Constant Noise (41 per cent) |
4. Air Pollution (34 per cent) |
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5. Crime (32 per cent) |
5. Crime (28 per cent) |
And AnyVan said movement out of the capital has been increasing since 2014. Before then, moves into the capital always outstripped moves out, but that changed into an even split in 2014. Then last year, AnyVan moved more than three people out of the capital for every two that moved in.
Read more: This London road already broke its air pollution limit for 2017
As for what Londoners would miss should they act on their thoughts and move away…
Well, the mix of food on offer, city nightlife and on-demand food services like Deliveroo were all pointed to as things they'd miss, not so widely on offer in other areas.