Air Quality Review & Assessment

Introduction
Air pollution in South Bucks is a very important issue and one of public concern. Everybody has the right to clean air, it is therefore essential that air quality and pollution be strictly controlled, managed and monitored.

The National Air Quality Strategy 1997 was established to control and protect air quality in the United Kingdom. Air Quality Standards were created for eight main air pollutants that are known to harm human health. The strategy included a series of measures to be taken to deliver cleaner air through a process of Local Air Quality Management (LAQM). (Ozone, which was one of the eight pollutants, is now managed nationally due to its trans boundary nature).

Local Air Quality Management
The Air Quality Management process is governed by Central Government and guided by legislation (The National Air Quality Strategy). Local Authorities have a key role to play in improving air quality in their area. Initially, all busy, congested roads and major industrial processes were assessed and predictions made for future concentrations of the seven pollutants. If these predictions showed that the objectives were unlikely to be achieved then the Local Authority was required to declare one or more Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) and produce a local action plan. South Bucks completed this work and submitted a technical report to the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). The report identified that whilst there were no exceedences of the air quality objectives, there were areas of the district that were close to the threshold for two of the seven pollutants, these being nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate as PM10.

From the research undertaken in the first round of the review and assessment process, South Bucks District Council did not declare an Air Quality Management Area. However, in order to confirm the modelled findings of this research, South Bucks District Council installed a real time monitoring station for nitrogen dioxide and particulates.

Local Air Quality Management-Second Round of Review and Assessment
The National Air Quality Strategy requires Local Authorities to review and assess air quality in their areas periodically. Following the initial round of review and assessment, South Bucks District Council were required to undertake a second round of review and assessment. This phased approach to local air quality management allows a review of pollutant sources and an update of predicted pollutant concentrations resulting from changes in emissions.

Updating and Screening Assessment
The first step in the second round of the review and assessment process is an updating and screening assessment (U&SA). This is based on a checklist to identify those emissions that have changed since the first round of review and assessment. The U&SA for South Bucks identified that there was a risk of the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) annual mean air quality objective being exceeded in the District, in locations where there is a potential for public exposure.

View the South Bucks Review and Assessment Report 2003 below



Detailed Assessment
Where the U&SA has identified a risk that an air quality objective will be exceeded at a location with relevant exposure, the local authority is required to undertake a Detailed Assessment. The aim of the detailed assessment is to identify with reasonable certainty whether or not a likely exceedence of National Air Quality Strategy Objectives will occur. The Detailed Assessment for South Bucks used air quality data from the real time air quality monitoring station in Gerrards Cross and passive diffusion data from across the District. Dispersion modelling was utilised to identify predicted nitrogen dioxide (NO2) annual mean and particulate matter (PM10) 24-hour mean concentrations.

The Detailed assessment for South Bucks concluded that:

• No exceedences are predicted for sensitive receptors in relation to annual mean or 24-hour mean PM10 concentrations for 2004.
• There are certain locations adjacent to the M4, M25, M40 in the District, where the NO2 annual mean concentrations may exceed National Air Quality Objectives.

 View the South Bucks Review and Assessment Report 2004 below.
 

Current Activity
South Bucks District Council wish to tackle the pollution issues head-on. As such, we have designated an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) along the M4/M25&M40 corridors. The designation of an AQMA allows us to focus our attention on those areas in the District where air quality is at its lowest. Within an AQMA, local measures can be implemented in order to achieve the objective levels set for all pollutants.

The boundaries of the AQMA follow the predicted areas of exceedence adjacent to the motorways but do not simply outline the ‘Hot Spots' where public exposure is predicted. The choice of a corridor allows more flexibility in terms of the development of actions to improve air quality within the District.

The location of the AQMA boundary does not represent a distinction between areas of good and poor air quality. The health risks of living or working within the AQMA may be statistically higher, relative to those living outside, however, those living outside the area are just as likely to suffer the effects of poor air quality..




Further Assessment of Air Quality within the AQMA -an Air Quality Action Plan for South Bucks
Within 12 months of designating an AQMA, Local Authorities are required to undertake a further assessment of air quality within the AQMA. The Further Assessment builds on the information gathered and the conclusions reached in the Detailed Assessment, submitted to Defra in April 2004. The Further Assessment provides an opportunity for the Council to revisit and revise if necessary, the conclusions from the Detailed Assessment in relation to the location and extent of the AQMA. It also forms the basis for the Council to develop an Action Plan to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX) from road traffic sources in the District.

The Further Assessment has demonstrated that on the basis of 2005 forecasts, using year 2004 meteorological data, traffic counts and air quality monitoring data, exceedences are not expected across the South Buckinghamshire District. The exceptions are receptors in close proximity to the M25 at Cherry Orchard Farm. However, it is likely that several receptors at this location are non-residential, and therefore, the Objectives do not apply. As a precautionary approach, due to year on year variations in traffic flows, meteorology and pollutant concentrations, it is considered that despite the conclusions of this latest report, the Council do not revoke or amend the AQMA at this time, and proceed to the formulation of an Air Quality Action Plan.




Within 12-18 months of designating an AQMA, local authorities are required to produce an Air Quality Action Plan including measures that are to be taken by the Council to improve air quality within the AQMA declared. The Council has therefore developed an Air Quality Action Plan for the District. The full document can be viewed below (Appendix 1 includes all the new Policies of the Action Plan).



South Bucks District Council continues to monitor NO2 and PM10 at the continuous monitoring station in Gerrards Cross, and to monitor NO2 at locations throughout the district. The data recorded are used to produce our annual air quality reports as required by the National Air Quality Strategy. The most recent reports are given below.
The findings of the most recent reports show that air quality in the district is generally good. Some exceedences of the Air Quality Objective for NO2 have been noted, but primarily these are only within the existing AQMA. One exceedence has been noted on the A40 in Gerrards Cross, close to, but not within the AQMA.
In early 2009, a new Motorway Service Station opened in the District, on junction 2 of the M40, at Beaconsfield. The Council will shortly be implementing a 12 month monitoring programme to assess the effects of this new Service Station on local air quality.

SBDC continues to play an active role in the Buckinghamshire Air Quality Management Group, which has been running for a number of years, with the aim of improving air quality throughout the whole of the county of Buckinghamshire.