• Air Quality Action Plan Consultation

    for Worcester City Council

  • Introduction

    In 2019 the City Council declared a City-Wide Air Quality Management area. This is a statutory consultation for the Draft Worcester City Air Quality Action Plan (2024-2029). The Council has worked with representatives from Worcestershire County Council, Public Health, the NHS and the University of Worcester in production of the plan. Within the AQAP, the Council has set out a number of measures to achieve the council’s and partners key priorities to reduce emissions from traffic, improve public health and wellbeing, increase uptake of sustainable travel options and plan for future development.

    The survey will take around 5 minutes for you complete. View our Privacy Notice.

    Please contact enquiries@worcsregservices.gov.uk for any queries or to receive the survey in an alternative format.

    The survey closes at midnight on Monday 15 September 2024.

    Summary of Air Quality Action Plan for public consultation

    This Draft Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) has been produced as part of Worcester City Council’s statutory duties required by the Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) framework. It outlines the action the Council will take to improve air quality in Worcester City between 2024 and 2029.

    The Worcester City (Political Boundary) Air Quality Management Area was declared in 2019 due to exceedances of the annual mean objective (40 µg/m3) for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), under terms of the Environment Act 1995. Therefore, measures contained within this plan focus on reducing emissions from sources of nitrogen dioxide pollution. The requirement for the plan is to achieve compliance with adopted UK Air Quality Standards Regulations and objectives which may not be the same as other international limits as set by the European Union or World Health Organisation.

    Vehicles are the largest contributor to NO2 pollution at local roadsides, contributing 80% of the total (on average). This means higher levels of NO2 are typically focused in high traffic areas within city centres (such as Worcester). Targeted local action, in addition to a national strategy, is therefore a key part of the solution to tackling NO2 levels in the UK.

    Air pollution is associated with several adverse health impacts. It is recognised as a contributing factor in the onset of heart disease and cancer. Additionally, air pollution particularly affects the most vulnerable in society: children and older people, and those with heart and lung conditions. Poor air quality is also often found in areas of highest deprivation.

    Worcester City Council is committed to reducing poor air quality in order to improve people’s health & wellbeing.

    Worcester City Council’s priorities for this AQAP are:

    • Priority 1 - Reducing Emissions from Transport
    • Priority 2 - Public Health and Well-being
    • Priority 3 – Sustainable Travel and Transport
    • Priority 4 – Planning for Future Development 

    The proposed actions to improve Air Quality in Worcester are:

    1. Installation of public EV charging points
    2. Developing the Worcestershire EV Charging Strategy to support LEVI
    3. Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) for residential off-street parking
    4. Producing an Air Quality Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
    5. Directional signage for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV)
    6. Funding of a Behavioural Change Officer post
    7. Encouraging awareness of air quality via public access to real time monitoring data
    8. Upgrade the Worcester City Refuse Collection Vehicles (RCV) fleet
    9. Provide online Active Travel Guides for Business
    10. Introducing a bike hire and bike share scheme
    11. Improvements to the local bus fleet
    12. Provide additional cycle parking and storage
    13. Raising awareness of air pollution and positive actions through annual events
    14. Formation of a countywide Air Quality Strategy Communications Plan
    15. Promotion of sustainable travel choices through Choose How You Move (CHYM) measures
    16. Encourage and support sustainable modes of transport to schools and ModeSHIFT star accreditation
    17. Encouraging awareness and behavioural change interventions linked to focussed real time monitoring data
    18. Developing and implementation of a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP)
    19. Improve and upgrade bus stop infrastructure (shelters)
    20. Remove city centre HGV parking
    21. Introduce anti-idling awareness for taxi drivers

    View and download the full version of the draft Air Quality Action Plan.

    Following completion of the consultation period, all comments received will be considered fully and reported back to the Licensing and Environmental Committee on 22nd October and Environment Committee on 5th November ahead of final publication and submission to Government in December 2024.

     

     

  • Survey

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  • About you

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