Agenda item

To consider and comment on the progress with the implementation of the Air Quality Action Plan.

The Committee received the report of the Council’s Environmental Health Team Leader which asked Members to consider and comment on the progress with the implementation of the Air Quality Action Plan.

Officers introduced the report and explained that on the 29 February 2016 Selby District Council designated its first Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) on New Street, Selby for nitrogen dioxide levels related to traffic emissions.

Members noted that Selby District Council had now finalised an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) to help address concentrations of nitrogen dioxide along New Street.  The AQAP identified the measures expected to deliver the greatest and most immediate improvements in Selby’s air quality and longer term steps needed to address the impact of development. The Executive approved the adoption of the AQAP in May 2018. The AQAP was intended to be a live document that would be continuously reviewed and developed, to take account of future development, traffic growth, and changes in local air quality.

The Committee understood that a ‘source apportionment’ study had previously been carried out for New Street; ‘source apportionment’ referred to the process of looking at how different source categories contributed to overall concentrations of a certain pollutant in a particular area. The study had highlighted that traffic sources were likely to be a significant contributing factor to the exceedances of the air quality objectives in the New Street area. Traffic sources were estimated to contribute around 69% to the total nitrogen dioxide in this area, with cars being the predominant source.

The Council was currently working with its partners, including North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC), to deliver measures contained within the AQAP.

Members noted that as a result of a motion that had been submitted for consideration on 17 September 2019 at a meeting of the Council, Policy Review Committee had been tasked with leading on the development of Council policy on climate change and making recommendations to Council at the earliest opportunity, including how the aims of the motion could be implemented. It was acknowledged that air quality would be a part of the work on climate change.

In response to a question regarding where else in the District air was monitored, Officers reported that it was also undertaken in Tadcaster and Sherburn, but that there had been no breaches of the levels as yet.

Members asked a number of questions about how to tackle poor air quality, including traffic management, education of drivers and anti-idling campaigns. Officers explained that sustainable travel had been more focused on in Selby so far, and that the air quality monitoring was also only taking place in the town at present.

The Committee suggested that more traffic could be diverted around Selby on the bypass, and that the routing of car satellite navigation systems also had a major part to play in the direction of traffic in the town.

Members noted that Officers were already working with local schools to educate parents on how damaging idling vehicles were to air quality.

The Committee agreed that incentives for change were often required and that active promotion of schemes to improve air quality would be needed.

RESOLVED:

To note the progress with the implementation of the Air Quality Action Plan.