Agenda item

Purpose of Report

To seek approval of the adoption of the interim Air Quality Action Plan for Lincoln.

Decision

That the adoption of the interim Air Quality Action Plan be approved.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

None.

Reason for Decision

The City of Lincoln Council currently had one declared Air Quality Management Area which was in place due to non-compliance with the national annual mean air quality objective for nitrogen dioxide, a road traffic related pollutant. Where a local authority had declared an Air Quality Management Area, it had a duty to produce an Air Quality Action Plan aimed at improving pollution levels within the Air Quality Management Area. The Council’s current Action Plan was produced in 2006 and required updating to reflect the current air quality challenges within the city.

A detailed modelling assessment of air quality was undertaken in 2018 to take account of recent changes in the road network, including the newly created East West Link Road and the Transport Hub, using updated traffic data from Lincolnshire County Council’s revised road traffic model for Lincoln. As part of the detailed modelling assessment, a source apportionment exercise was carried out to identify the principal pollution sources affecting air quality within the Air Quality Management Area. The results of the source apportionment exercise suggested that measures contained in any update of the Air Quality Action Plan should primarily seek to address road traffic contributions within the existing Air Quality Management Area, with particular emphasis on reducing the contribution of heavy goods vehicles and buses or coaches along the A15 as they passed through the centre of the city.

Due to the ongoing review of the Lincoln Transport Strategy, led by Lincolnshire County Council, it was expected that opportunities would arise to reduce transport related emissions throughout the city. However, until outcomes of the Lincoln Transport Strategy review were finalised, it was not known which road traffic related measures could feasibly be included in any Air Quality Action Plan.

In order to demonstrate the City Council’s commitment to tackling air quality it was proposed to adopt an interim Air Quality Action Plan, concentrating on those improvement measures that could be implemented, irrespective of the outcomes of the Lincoln Transport Strategy review. A full review of the Action Plan would be undertaken upon completion of the Lincoln Transport Strategy review seeking to take advantage of opportunities afforded by the updated Strategy.

It was noted that the key priorities of the interim Air Quality Action Plan would focus on both committed infrastructure schemes and measures that the City Council could implement directly, which included:

·         Priority 1 – reduction in through traffic, particularly in relation to heavy goods vehicles;

·         Priority 2 – improvement in vehicle emissions regularly entering the Air Quality Management Area;

·         Priority 3 – manage development in a way that minimises any detrimental impact on the Air Quality Management Area;

·         Priority 4 – improvements in the City Council’s transport emissions;

·         Priority 5 – improvements in the City Council’s non-transport related emissions.

Councillor Neil Murray asked what the expected benefit on Canwick Road and Broadgate would be once the Eastern Bypass opened next year. The Eastern Bypass was anticipated to remove heavy goods vehicles from that particular route and decrease through traffic by at least 20%. The Highways Authority would be required to have in place a scheme which demonstrated how such a reduction would be encouraged.

Councillor Chris Burke sought confirmation regarding the robustness of the measurements being taken. It was reported that measurements were undertaken at a number of locations across the city and that officers were 100% confident that the data collected was of a sufficient level, collecting good quality data.