Agenda item

The Assistant Director Community and Housing Services briefly presented the  report, and in doing so referred to paragraph 2.3 in the report.

“Section 83A of the Environment Act 1995 requires Local Authorities (in response to declaring an AQMA) to prepare a written Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP). This must set out how the local authority and other stakeholders will take the necessary measures to secure the achievement, and maintenance, of air quality standards and objectives in the area to which the plan relates and must in relation to each measure specify a date by which it will be carried out and how it will be reviewed.”

The report further highlighted that in September 2023 officers contacted DEFRA raising concerns regarding the process and requested an alternative timetable for submission of AQAPs for four Worcestershire districts including Bromsgrove District Council. A revised timetable for submission of an AQMA was agreed and submission of a final AQAP was due to be submitted by April 2025.

The Assistant Director Community and Housing Services then took the opportunity to introduce the officers from Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS), the Technical Services Manager and the Specialist Lead Officer (Air Quality).

The Technical Services Manager informed Members that a piece of work was carried out with colleagues from Public Health and BDC to look at nitrogen  dioxide (NO₂₎  levels and the legal requirements.

The highest concentration of NO₂ was 36.6µ/m³ (microgrammes per meter cubed) recorded across the monitoring network in 2023 within the Worcester Road AQMA). As this was within the 10% of the national Air Qaulity objective for annual ro annual NO₂ the Council were required were required to put in place an Air Quality Action Plan.

The last exceedance of NO₂ or measured concentrations within 10% of the annual objective within the Redditch Road and Lickey End AQMAs were recorded in 2016. Due to the number of years, they had not exceeded the annual objective, Bromsgrove District Council were now required to undertake the work to revoke both of these AQMAs.

Therefore, following discussions with the Defra LAQM team in May 2024 it was confirmed that an AQAP was required for the Worcester Road, Bromsgrove AQMA only.

In response to questions from Members with regards to levels declining due to cleaner running engines, the WRS officers commented that there was a national trend with figures declining. This could possibly be due to cleaner running engines from vehicle manufacturers. However, modern vehicles would  decline their efficiencies over time.

Recent data from Worcestershire County Council. Highways indicated that travel had gone up but NO₂  levels were down.

RECOMMENDED that  

1.1     the Draft Air Quality Action Plan 2025-2030 be approved;

1.2     a Consultation on the Plan be undertaken for 2 months from Mid-

           December to February 2025: and

1.3     authority be delegated to the Assistant Director Community and Housing,   following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning, Licencing Worcestershire Regulatory Services, to approve the final Plan following the consultation, and for submission to DEFRA by April 2025.