Download: ASR 2016: File Type

Slough Borough Council

2016 Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR)

In fulfilment of Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 Local Air Quality Management

January 2017

LAQM Annual Status Report 2016

Local Authority Officer

Jason Newman Planning and Building Control Services – Environmental Quality Team Slough Borough Council St Martin Place

Department Address

51 Bath Road Slough SL1 3UF

Telephone E-mail

01753 875219 [email protected] ED62398120

Report Reference number

Date

January 2017

LAQM Annual Status Report 2016

Executive Summary: Air Quality in Our Area

Air pollution levels within Slough remain a significant environmental and public health concern and the Council is working hard to improve air pollution, and to comply with national air quality objectives, in the shortest possible time. Good air quality is not only important to improving health outcomes of our residents, but also for enhancing the natural and built environment and for attracting residents, visitors and businesses to Slough.

Air Quality in Slough Borough Council

Air pollution is associated with a number of 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. There is also often a strong correlation with equalities issues, because areas with poor air quality are also often the less affluent areas^{1, 2}. The annual health cost to society of the impacts of particulate matter alone in the UK is estimated to be around £16 billion³.

Sources of Poor Air Quality

The principal source of poor air quality within Slough, relates to road traffic emissions, but local construction activities, diesel trains operating on the Great Western Mainline, the town centre bus station, local industrial processes, larger combustion processes (EfW), and back-up diesel generators (data centres), as well as transboundary pollutants (e.g. pollutants outside Slough) also contribute to the background pollution levels.

1 Environmental equity, air quality, socioeconomic status and respiratory health, 2010 2 Air quality and social deprivation in the UK: an environmental inequalities analysis, 2006 3 Defra. Abatement cost guidance for valuing changes in air quality, May 2013

Annual Status Report 2016

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Detailed air quality modelling and source apportionment (e.g. what vehicles are mostly responsible for air pollution) was commissioned in 2015 to assist with the development of the Councils low emission strategy (the modelling used 2014 air quality data, road traffic data and Heathrow weather data). The modelling determined

that local road traffic contributes around 50% towards NO₂concentrations at

relevant receptors (those modelled within the AQMAs and surrounding area). The remainder is due to background levels that prevail in the area. Light passenger diesel cars are the main source of air pollution in the Borough accounting for between (7% and 30% of total NO₂concentrations. Heavy duty vehicles; artic and rigid HGVs and buses also contribute significantly to poor air quality in the Brands Hill Area of the Borough.

Air Quality Monitoring and Future monitoring proposals

The Council has monitored air quality for over 20 years and operates continuous air quality monitoring stations at four locations; 3 monitoring stations monitor nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations; 2 monitoring stations monitor particulates (PM₁₀) concentrations, using established reference methods. The Council also operates 2 indicative particulate monitors these measure (PM_2.5) and (PM_1.0). Additionally, the Council has access to air quality data (NO₂), (PM₁₀) and (PM_2.5) from a monitoring station operated by the Lakeside from Energy from Waste plant in Colnbrook. Access to real-time and historic monitoring data can be found on the following hyperlink

http://sloughair.aeat.com/.

The Council also hired a temporary air quality monitoring station from TRL and installed this on the corner of Salt Hill Drive opposite Farnham Road within AQMA 3 in January 2015 the station has since been decommissioned in early 2017. The Council also operates a comprehensive (non-automatic) passive diffusion network of 50 diffusion tubes across 42 sites. The diffusion tubes monitor nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations. These tubes are collected on a 4 or 5 weekly basis and analysed at a UKAS accredited laboratory.

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The Council plans to upgrade its continuous air quality monitoring network in 2017, installing three new air quality monitoring stations within three of its Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs). These stations will monitor nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations; and two of them will monitor (PM₁₀) concentrations. The Council has also expanded its diffusion tube network in late 2016 to cover Langley village and the surrounding area, adding a further 5 monitoring sites.

Air Quality Management Areas

Air Quality Management Areas are defined geographical areas where air pollution levels are, or are likely to, exceed national air quality objectives at relevant locations (where the public maybe exposed to harmful air pollution over a period of time e.g. residential homes, schools etc.). Four Air Quality Management Areas have been declared due to breaches of the annual mean concentrations for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) which is 40 µg/m³. Details of the AQMAs can be found on

https://www.slough.gov.uk/pests-pollution-and-food-hygiene/air-quality-reports.aspx .

and more detailed maps can be found on the Defra Website https://uk-

air.defra.gov.uk/aqma/maps .

In summary the AQMAs are defined as: AQMA1: including land adjacent to the M4 along the north carriageway (junctions 5- 7) and south carriageway (junction 5 – Brands Hill) up to a distance of approximately 100m from the central carriageway.

AQMA 2: incorporates A4 London Road east of junction 5 M4, 300m past Sutton Lane along the Colnbrook by- pass and covers the entire gyratory system on A4 and both side of the A4 carriageway.

AQMA 3: incorporates the A355 Tuns Lane from junction 6 of the M4 motorway in a northerly direction to just past its junction with the A4 Bath Road approximately 200m north along A355 Farnham Road, the area is known as the "Three Tuns".

AQMA 4: incorporates the A4 Bath Road from the junction with Ledgers Road/Stoke Poges Lane, in an easterly direction, along Wellington Street, up to the Sussex Place junction.

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Extension of AQMA 3

The Council will be extending its AQMA3 in 2017 due to continued breaches of the annual mean concentration for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at a relevant receptor on Bath Road. Air quality monitoring and modelling confirms the need to extend AQMA3; 300m eastwards along the A4 Bath Road as shown in the map below. As of July

2015, 1639 residential properties were located within Slough’s Air Quality

Management Areas. There are no schools located within Slough’s Air Quality Management Areas. The playing grounds of Foxborough Primary School, just skirts the edge of the AQMA1 M4.

Air Quality Monitoring Results 2015 and Trends

This report covers the air quality results obtained for 2015 and compares these results over the past four and five years at the same sites to determine if there are any clear trends in pollution levels.

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Table 1 shows the air quality results in 2015 (after been ratified and bias corrected) that identify 10 residential monitoring locations in breach of the national air quality standard for annual mean nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). At least one site is located within each AQMA.

Table 1 Distance corrected NO₂concentrations for residential sites which measure above 40 µg m^-3in 2015

Distance
Distance correction to residential façade to kerb of nearest main road from
Distance to Relevant Exposure
(m) (1)
Measured concentration, µg m^-3

Site ID

Site Name

AQMA

concentration, µg m^-3tube (m)

Blair Road Victoria Court

37

4

18

13

43

41

18

Brands Hill (A)

Chalvey (CAS)
21

5

3

61 41
53 45

34-36

30

45

Cornwall House,
Bath Rd
46 10 47
424
000
10 10
5

41 48 41
41 48 41

London Rd (C) Princess House,
Bath Road Tuns Station, Farnham Rd

48-50

3

0

10

46

40 22
Wexham Road
Winvale
41

5

3

42 43
40 48

10

20

Yew Tree Road
(Uxbridge Rd)

29

4

0

5

41

(1) 0m Means the tube is located on the façade of the residential receptor

Nitrogen dioxide concentrations continue to exceed annual objective concentrations at a number of locations throughout the Borough principally those which have high traffic volumes above 10,000 AADT (daily traffic movements) and/or high percentage of heavy vehicles on the strategic road network.

Air Quality Trends over 4-5 years

It is positive to note that the monitoring data is clearly demonstrating a downward trend in air quality concentrations for both NO₂and particulates (PM₁₀). Only indicative measurements of (PM_2.5) are recorded but the lowest recorded levels were monitored in 2015.

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The average reduction in concentration of annual mean (NO₂) over the past 5 years across all the monitoring sites within the AQMAs is 0.9µg/m3 per year (or 2.25% of the air quality objective.

However, the rate of improvement required to meet the air quality objectives is still slow, and air pollution remains a significant issue for Slough residents and will do so for many more years to come. Concentrations vary significantly between monitoring sites with rates of improvement required to meet air quality objective (varying between 2.5% and 33%), of equal concern is the number of new residential builds being developed in areas already experiencing poor air quality.

Two sites in Brands Hill AQMA have actually shown increases in air pollution concentration over this time. There is no conformity to the change in concentrations from one monitoring site to the next even within the same AQMA. This could be down to how traffic is managed and where queueing of traffic occurs. Also the impact of weather conditions (wind direction, precipitation, temperature) can have a significant impact on air pollution so some years air pollution levels will be higher than others.

Actions to Improve Air Quality

Air Quality Action Plan and Low Emission Strategy

The council has developed Air Quality Action Plans that cover AQMA 1 and AQMA 2 and also AQMA3 and AQMA 4 these can be accessed on the following link:

https://www.slough.gov.uk/pests-pollution-and-food-hygiene/air-quality-reports.aspx

.The Council reported to Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 41 measures that are aimed at improving directly or indirectly air quality. Slough measures are reported within the Southeast Zone.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/air-quality-plan-for-reducing-nitrogen- dioxide-no2-in-south-east-uk0031

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A number of these measures are ongoing, some have yet to start, and others have been completed. Whilst these measures may have had some positive effects on air pollution concentrations and the downward trend, there is a need for more robust measures to be co-ordinated through a strategy (e.g. Low Emission Strategy).

It is also clear, that improving air quality requires a multi-disciplinary approach across all Council Services and Partners and across the wider residential and business community. The Council has developed a draft Low Emission Strategy aimed at reducing road transport emissions and improving health outcomes. The Strategy will be published in summer 2017 following a public consultation in spring 2017.

Low Emission Strategy

The Outcome of the Low Emission Strategy (2017 - 2025) is focussed on the short to medium term (over next 1-8 years) with the following principal outcomes:

 Implementing electric transport infrastructure (pubic ‘fast’ and ‘rapid’ electric

charging points, operate electric taxis and electric/hybrid buses, and set up a town centre electric car club).



Adopting planning policies for new developments to support sustainable transport (including restrictions on parking, as necessary) and implementation of low emission technologies and vehicles standards (including on site EV charging, low emission NOx boilers and requiring the latest EURO standards for HDVs servicing new major commercial developments).

 Improving public transport and cycling infrastructure.  Requiring developers to produce sustainable travel plans that are focused on modal shift away from car use, and where this is not possible on increased uptake of ULEVs.

 As necessary, enforceable regulatory controls (such as the introduction of
Clean Air Zones), subject to suitable funding and clear air quality modelling evidencing their effectiveness. The Council has applied to DEFRA for Grant funding in 2016 to complete feasibility work on introducing a Clean Air Zone.

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Brunel Way Rapid Charger – Charges Electric Car in 30 minutes – charger has been used over 500 times since its installation December 2014.

Draft Transport Strategy 2017

The draft Slough Transport Strategy 2017 has been updated to reflect and address the review of Slough’s Local Plan and its principal objectives for significant residential and business growth over the next 20 years. One of the main strands of the Transport Strategy is aimed at reducing impact of travel on communities (in particular air pollution) and the main emphasis is to reduce congestion.

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This Strategy is focussed on the medium/long term (5-20 years) in particular ensuring significant modal shift, improved cycling infrastructure, improved public transport service access and connectivity, constraint on town centre car parking, introduction of park and ride bus service, a dedicated ULEV mass rapid transit system on the A4 and the potential slough transit network across the north of the Borough.

http://www.slough.gov.uk/council/strategies-plans-and-policies/the-emerging-local- plan-for-slough-2016-2036.aspx

Local Priorities and Challenges

Air Quality is a priority for the Council to address. The key challenges Slough faces in addressing poor air quality are:

 Our population is growing at a significant rate. We are expected to build nearly
20,000 new homes over the next 20 years within a heavily populated and congested urban Borough. Slough is only (32.54 km²). We will need to reduce the amount of parking allocated to town centre developments and ensure EV charging is installed and electric car club is operated.

 The main challenges are non-conforming EURO 6 light passenger diesel cars and vans coupled with the significant growth in diesel vehicles over the past 15 years. The Government needs to consider a diesel scrappage scheme for older polluting diesels as well ensuring newer diesel vehicles entering the market will meet the tougher real-world emission standards.

 A Lack of public awareness and understanding of air pollution is a significant barrier to change. There is a need for a public awareness campaigns at a national level which then can filter down at a local level.

How to Get Involved

Slough residents can find out more about air quality by visiting the Councils

Webpages http://www.slough.gov.uk/pests-pollution-and-food-hygiene/air-

quality.aspx and reading the Air Quality Action Plans. It is also advised that residents

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read the Local Transport Plan which includes strategies for modal shift, increased cycling and improved access and connectivity of public transport.

http://www.slough.gov.uk/council/strategies-plans-and-policies/local-transport-plan-

ltp3.aspx . Slough residents have access to the free app Airtext, that provides accurate air quality alerts, and health advice for At-Risk Groups and the General Population http://www.airtext.info/. Slough residents will be consulted on the new Low Emission Strategy that is currently being drafted. This Strategy will have its own dedicated web page on the SBC website.

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary: Air Quality in Our Area.......................................................... i

Air Quality in Slough Borough Council ............................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Actions to Improve Air Quality...........................................................................................vi Local Priorities and Challenges....................................................................................... viii How to Get Involved..........................................................................................................ix

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Local Air Quality Management........................................................................ 1 Actions to Improve Air Quality........................................................................ 2