Agenda item

Report of the Head of Highways and Public Protection

Further to Minute No. 29 of 14 January 2020 the Committee considered the report of the Head of Highways and Public Protection that updated on air quality management and recent ongoing clean air zone work in Sefton.

The report indicated that Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) was introduced under the Environment Act 1995, that evidence had shown that certain atmospheric pollutants were linked to poor health and that the Act placed a statutory duty on all Local Authorities to review and assess air quality in their areas at regular intervals; that arising from National Air Quality Standard (NAQS) Objectives 2 pollutants, Nitrogen Dioxide and Particulate Matter PM10 were still of concern in Sefton; that the ongoing review and assessment process had confirmed that in most of Sefton Air Quality was of a good standard and complied with the NAQS objectives; but that four localised areas in South Sefton had been identified where levels of Nitrogen Dioxide had exceeded or were close to the annual average standard of 40 µg/m3. Accordingly, Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) had been declared in the four locations at:

·        A5036 Princess Way and Crosby Road South Junction, Seaforth

·        A5058 Millers Bridge and Derby Road Junction, Bootle

·        A565 Crosby Road North and South Road Junction, Waterloo

·        B5422 Hawthorne Road and Church Road Junction, Litherland

The report also provided information on real time automatic monitoring stations and the monitoring results in respect of Nitrogen Dioxide and Particulate Matter PM10.

The report advised that following on from the Preliminary Clean Air Zone (CAZ) feasibility study Cabinet gave approval for Officers to progress the development of a detailed Outline Business Case (OBC) for the creation of a Sefton Based CAZ, in line with the approach recommended by DEFRA. AECOM were commissioned in May 2020 to undertake the additional air quality and transport modelling work needed and prepare a draft OBC in conjunction with Council officers; that a temporary CAZ Project Manager had been seconded into the Council on a part-time basis, since May 2020, to oversee and input into AECOM’s work in conjunction with the CAZ Steering Group/Project Group, in addition to supporting wider tasks such as the Communication and Engagement strategy for Sefton’s overarching Clean Air Plan; that the four key overarching strategic objectiveshad been set for the OBC, as follows:

·        To improve air quality and achieve compliance with national standards in the shortest possible time in known hotspot areas i.e. within four AQMAs

·        To promote improved air quality in the wider area (outside AQMAs) through more rapid switch over to vehicles with minimal exhaust emissions

·        To reduce human exposure to air pollution and thus improve public health, particularly for areas with high deprivation

·        To reduce emissions relating to the A5036 for HGV vehicle travel, particularly around high-density residential areas.  

The report concluded that air quality in the majority of Sefton was within NAQS Objectives and that action plans were in place to work towards compliance in the four AQMA areas; that there remained areas where there were major challenges to air quality including the expansion of the Port of Liverpool and the associated increase in HGVs; that officers would focus on holistic approaches and engagement with all key stakeholders and would continue to develop and implement air quality improvement actions under the direction of the Air Quality Members Reference Group.

The Committee also received a presentation from Greg Martin, Principal Environmental Health Officer that focussed on the following points:

·        A general update on Local Air Quality Management and the 4 declared Air Quality Management Areas, three of which are heavily impacted by port traffic and associated emissions

·        Air quality monitoring results and summary associated with NO_2, PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅

·        Ongoing actions to improve air quality 

·        Update on the Clean Air Project and current Clean Air Plan proposals

·        Current Clean Air Zone boundary options

·        Technical work – key outputs and timescales

·        Internal and external engagement and consultation

·        Next steps which included re-engaging Highways England with full modelling results to determine the appropriateness of including the strategic road network in the CAZ

Members of the Committee asked questions/commented on the following issues:

·        The recent London coroner ruling that air pollution was a cause of the death of a nine-year-old girl as a result of exposure to nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter pollution in excess of World Health Organization guidelines, the principal source of which were traffic emissions

·        The monitoring of emissions on the A565 Crosby Road North / Liverpool Road / Moor Lane area and changes in emission levels following the opening of Brooms Cross Road

·        The governance and decision-making responsibility in determining the Clean Air Zone Boundary Options following the AECOM technical appraisal

·        It was noted that Peel Ports did not make any contribution to mitigate poor air quality levels associated with port activity and traffic 

RESOLVED: That