Issue - meetings

Updated Air Quality Action Plan

Meeting: 31/08/2021 - Street Scene and Environment Services Advisory Board (Item 21)

21 Updated Air Quality Action Plan pdf icon PDF 149 KB

The report presented an updated Air Quality Action Plan for consideration and provided details of the public consultation conducted earlier in the year.

Additional documents:

Decision:

(Report of Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health)

 

With six declared Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA), the Council has a statutory duty to keep updated an Air Quality Action Plan to outline the actions it would take to reduce concentrations of the pollutant of concern in the AQMA’s so that they can all eventually be revoked.  Identified actions were proposed up to 2026 to tackle Nitrogen Dioxide, primarily within the remaining AQMA’s, but also across the Borough as a whole. 

 

Following consideration by the Street Scene and Environment Services Advisory Board, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change resolved that:

 

(1)         subject to any further amendments from DEFRA, the Air Quality Action Plan as set out in full at Annex 1, be endorsed.

Minutes:

Decision Notice D210080MEM

 

The report of the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health provided an update on the Council’s Air Quality Action Plan.  With six declared Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA), the Council had a statutory duty to keep updated an Air Quality Action Plan to outline the actions it would take to reduce concentrations of the pollutant of concern in the AQMA’s so that they could all eventually be revoked.  Identified actions were proposed up to 2026 to tackle Nitrogen Dioxide, primarily within the remaining AQMA’s, but also across the Borough as a whole. 

 

Members were advised that the proposed actions would also support the Borough’s Climate Change Strategy and Kent Council Council’s Energy and Low Emission Strategy.  A draft appraisal on the Plan had been received from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and although there were minor comments, overall the appraisal was positive.

 

Members discussed the option of full pedestrianisation of the high street in Tonbridge and the introduction of a one-way system and noted that neither were contained within the action plan, as the plan focused primarily on residential properties.

 

RECOMMENDED: That subject to any further amendments from DEFRA, the Air Quality Action Plan as set out in full at Annex 1, be endorsed.