Agenda item

To receive a report that seeks approval and adoption of the North Tyneside Air Quality Strategy for 2023-2028.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval and adoption of a revised North Tyneside Air Quality Strategy for 2023-2028 as attached at Appendix 1 to the report.

North Tyneside was considered to have good air quality and monitoring had consistently shown that it met the UK air quality objectives. Previously, local authority areas that failed to meet the air quality objectives were required to implement an action plan. However, the introduction of the Local Air Quality Management policy guidance 2022 now required all local authorities to introduce an Air Quality Strategy that would identify aims and actions that regulated or encouraged reductions in air pollution.

The guidance encouraged local authorities to take early preventative action to improve local air quality, avoid exceedances of the air quality objectives set out in The Air Quality (England) Regulations 2000 and reduce the long-term health impacts associated with air pollution. It was anticipated that this approach would enable local authorities to adopt measures that reduced the need for costly health interventions at a later date.

The Air Quality Strategy was intended to set out the aims of the Authority to maintain and improve air quality and show how collectively the Authority will work with partners to improve air quality. As well as setting out actions to reduce pollutants which would improve health, the Air Quality Strategy would set out the actions which would be taken help to reduce global warming associated from gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulates.  The Air Quality Strategy would provide greater focus on how small improvements in air quality would impact public health outcomes.

The Air Quality Strategy linked into existing policies including those related to planning, transport and the Carbon Net Zero 2030 policy adopted by the Authority aimed at improving air quality across the Borough.  All policies adopted by the Authority must consider the impact on the environment and the Authority recognised the need to reduce its own carbon footprint, and to consider measures that would promote and support a reduction in greenhouse gases. The Air Quality Strategy linked to the policies set out below:

·        Transport Strategy - aims to reduce congestion and promote cleaner transport.

·        Planning Policy - seeks to maintain and improve air quality with the expectation that developers will assess the impact of any development on air quality and the environment and to provide mitigation measures.

·        Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy – aims to tackle health inequalities including those inequalities in exposure to air pollution.

Development of the draft Strategy involved the establishment of a steering group made up of officers from different areas of the Authority who were currently involved with actions that contributed towards the improvement of air quality of the Borough. This included officers from Environmental Health, Public Health, Transport, Planning and Sustainability. The aim of the group was to identify aims and actions that regulated or encouraged reductions in air quality and ensure appropriate mitigation measures were in place to reduce emissions and air quality exposure.  Progress made on improving the air quality across the Borough after the implementation of Air Quality Strategy, subject to Cabinet’s approval, would be reported annually through the Annual Air Quality Status Report which it was proposed would be produced and published by the Director of Public Health.

The aims of the Air Quality Strategy were: To maintain and improve air quality and health; To reduce transport related emissions; To review air quality in planning policy, development and land use; To reviewing and promote reductions in emission from industrial processes; To promote public health and improve health outcomes linked to air quality; To encourage public participation and informed choices on air quality and health; To review and promote benefits of the Carbon Net Zero Action Plan on air quality; and To ensure the Authority worked collaboratively with partner agencies.

The Annual Air Quality Status Report, in addition to providing a review of the air quality in the Borough, would provide a progress report on the actions set out in the local Air Quality Strategy. The Annual Status Report would consider new or changing sources of emissions and monitoring of the air quality will be focused on any polluting areas. The Strategy will be reviewed at least every 5 years.

Currently, local authorities had a duty under the Environment Act 1995 to monitor and review air quality against short and long-term exposure objectives and to publish an Annual Status Report that is submitted each year to the Secretary of State. This report had consistently established that the pollutants of main concern in the Borough were fine particulates and nitrogen dioxide that arise from the burning of fossil fuels. Traffic was the predominant source of pollution in the Borough. The monitoring of air quality in North Tyneside between 2017 to 2021 had shown that North Tyneside had no exceedances in the UK air quality objectives set out in the Regulations referred to above.

The Environment Act 1995 required local authorities to declare an Air Quality Management Area if exceedances in the air quality objectives are found in their area and to produce an Air Quality Action Plan. Although the Authority had not needed to declare an Air Quality Management Area within the Borough, it continued to actively monitor air quality through 29 indicative monitoring sites located in the Borough. The locations were chosen based on potential exposure to high levels of pollutants and were predominantly sites located at housing adjacent to roads that had a high traffic flow.

At its meeting on 23 January 2023 Cabinet agreed to the commencement of a six-week public engagement the draft Air Quality Strategy between 30 January and 2 March 2023.  The Strategy had been developed following the conclusion of the consultation to enable responses to be received from those wishing to comment on the draft Air Quality Strategy.  At the end of the consultation, comments were collated and reviewed.

115 responses were received to the consultation and a summary of the responses was attached at Appendix 2 to the report.  The majority of responses were positive and supported the introduction of the Strategy and its aims.  Respondents understood the key actions the Authority needed to put in place to achieve the aims.  The comments emphasised the need to show the benefits to the public of the aims of the Strategy and to encourage participation and compliance with the actions stipulated in the Strategy that would improve air quality.  Promotion and reporting was a key part of the Strategy and its aims. The focus of Aim 5 of the Strategy was to promote and improve health outcomes linked to air quality.  

In consideration of the public consultation, minor amendments were made to the draft Strategy, in particular to clarify the definition of the pollutant find particulates.

Cabinet considered the following decision options: either to agree the recommendations as set out in paragraph 1.2 of the report; or alternatively, to not accept the recommendations, and to instruct officers to make amendments to the Strategy and to bring a further report to Cabinet for it to consider those amendments.

Resolved that (1) the adoption of the North Tyneside Council Air Quality Strategy for 2023-2028 attached at Appendix 1 to the report, be agreed; and

(2) the comments and responses to the Air Quality Strategy in the Engagement Outcome document attached at Appendix 2 to the report, be noted.

(Reason for decision:  to ensure that the Authority meets the requirements set out in the Local Air Quality Management Policy guidance and that the subject of air quality is promoted and remains high on the local agendas. The Strategy has been subject to a six week consultation exercise and views expressed during that period have been considered in formulating the final draft document.)