(Report of Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health)
The report presented the monitoring results at the six Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) in the borough and recommended revocation of the M20 AQMA in accordance with the Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) Technical Guidance 2022 document (TG22), which provided the current statutory guidance as to how local authorities should comply with the relevant legislation to monitor and tackle air pollution.
Members noted that, according to the TG22, there should not be any declared AQMAs for which compliance with the relevant objective (annual mean NO2 concentrations being lower than 36 µg/m3, i.e. within 10% of the annual mean NO2 objective) had been achieved for a consecutive 5-year period, which had been the case for the M20 AQMA, and if the respective NO2 levels remained consistent in 2024 in the case of the other AQMAs with the exception of the Wateringbury AQMA, they would also be recommended for review and revocation in 2025.
Furthermore, it was clarified that air quality monitoring across the borough, including within the current AQMAs, would continue following the revocation as recommended.
Following consideration by the Communities and Environment Scrutiny Select Committee, the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Regeneration and Property resolved that:
(1) the M20 Air Quality Management Area be revoked; and
(2) the status of the Air Quality Management Areas in Tonbridge High Street, Aylesford, Larkfield and Borough Green be acknowledged and reviewed again in 2025 with a view to revocation should monitoring results for 2024 be conducive.