2018 and 2019 Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR) In fulfilment of Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 Local Air Quality Management September 2019 Local Authority Dr Daniel McCrory Officer Department Regulatory Services Staffordshire Moorlands District Council Moorlands House Address Stockwell Street Leek ST13 6HQ Telephone 01538 395400 Ext:4413 E-mail [email protected] Report Reference J2832B/1/F1 Number Date September 2019 Tom Richardson Report Prepared By Dr Clare Beattie Annual Status Report (ASR) Air Quality - Endorsement from the Director of Health and Care, Staffordshire County Council Staffordshire County Council is committed to working with partners to ensure that Staffordshire will be a place where improved health and wellbeing is experienced by all. Poor air quality has a negative impact on public health, with potentially serious consequences for individuals, families and communities. Identifying problem areas and ensuring that actions are taken to improve air quality forms an important element in protecting the health and wellbeing of Staffordshire residents. Improving air quality is often a complex issue, presenting a multi-agency challenge – so it is essential that all agencies work together effectively to deliver improvements where they are needed. As Director of Health and Care across Staffordshire I endorse this Annual Status Report which sets out the position in all the Local Authorities across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent I‟m pleased to report that we have developed an ongoing work programme to address air quality issues in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent through the Defra Funded Air Quality Project. In addition Officers from Newcastle Borough Council, Stoke City Council and Staffordshire County Council are jointly working under Ministerial Direction to improve transport related air pollution in North Staffordshire. Dr. Richard Harling Director of Health and Care Staffordshire County Council 13th June 2019 Staffordshire Moorlands Annual Status Report 2018 and 2019 Executive Summary: Air Quality in Our Area This report fulfils the requirements of the Local Air Quality Management process as set out in Part IV of the Environment Act (1995), the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland 2007 and the relevant Policy and Technical Guidance documents. This document is Staffordshire Moorlands District Council‟s (SMDC‟s) Annual Status Report (ASR) for 2018 and 2019. Results from air quality monitoring undertaken by the Council are presented and sources of air pollution are identified. The ASR determines those changes since the last assessment, which could lead to the risk of an air quality objective being exceeded. This Annual Status Report confirms that annual mean nitrogen dioxide concentrations exceed the relevant air quality objective at some locations within Staffordshire Moorlands. Detailed assessments were previously carried out to determine the extents of the Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) required in Leek town centre and at the Cellarhead junction as part of the 2017 ASR (Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, 2018a). These AQMAs were declared in July 2019. The number of monitoring locations within these AQMAs has been increased. All current exceedances of the annual mean nitrogen dioxide objective are within the AQMAs. The Annual Status Report has not identified any significant changes in emission sources within the borough. There has been no new relevant transport, industrial or fugitive / uncontrolled sources of emissions. There are no other new sources of emissions which are considered to be relevant in terms of exceedances of the air quality objectives. Air Quality in Staffordshire Moorlands 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 Staffordshire Moorlands Annual Status Report 2018 and 2019 i equalities issues, because areas with poor air quality are also often the less affluent areas1,2. The annual health cost to society of the impacts of particulate matter alone in the UK is estimated to be around £20 billion3. In Staffordshire Moorlands, the main pollutant of concern is nitrogen dioxide, with the primary source being road vehicle exhaust emissions. In the majority of areas, levels of nitrogen dioxide are below the air quality objectives. Nitrogen dioxide concentrations at Leek and Cellarhead have decreased at long term monitoring sites in recent years. In other locations across Staffordshire Moorlands, concentrations have decreased at less pronounced rate or have remained broadly similar to previous years. In the past ten years there have been no major road schemes or developments with significant potential to affect air quality. The emerging Local Plan is at an advanced stage of production, with post-hearing main modifications consultation due to take place shortly. The emerging Local Plan (Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, 2018b) contains provision for approximately 6,080 new homes to be built within the district before 2033. Of these, approximately 3,800 are yet to be built or secure planning permission and the additional traffic generated by these new developments has the potential to impact air quality in Staffordshire Moorlands. SMDC does not currently monitor for particulate matter. However, the conclusions of previous LAQM reports, and air quality assessments submitted in support of planning applications, have indicated that there were unlikely to have been breaches of the PM10 air quality objectives. Two Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) have now been declared in the Staffordshire Moorlands local authority area due to exceedance of the 40 µg/m3 annual mean nitrogen dioxide, at locations in Leek town centre and at the Cellarhead junction. Detailed assessments were carried out as part of the 2017 ASR to 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 Public Health England, Public Health Outcomes Framework (2019). Staffordshire Moorlands Annual Status Report 2018 and 2019 ii determine the potential geographical extent of these exceedances and AQMAs declared at these locations in July 2019. SMDC monitors air quality throughout the borough. The District Council works collaboratively with the County Council on policy development with respect to air quality, and with the County Council‟s Transport and Highways department when road improvement works with the potential to impact or improve air quality are proposed. Actions to Improve Air Quality SMDC have taken forward a number of measures and policies to improve air quality in the borough. These include: The EcoStars Fleet Recognition Programme, which engages with operators of commercial vehicles locally and helps them to reduce the air quality impact of their fleet. The programme provides assessments of vehicles fleets which recognise existing good practise and support further efficiency and environmental performance improvements. The scheme is delivered by Transport and Travel Research Ltd. Air Quality Project: This is a major campaign to raise awareness of air quality issues across Staffordshire, predominantly: o Engage with business to educate on air quality and to develop travel plans; o Visits to schools to educate children on air quality and deliver an anti- idling campaign to parents; o Deliver a website “air aware campaign” and information on air quality, including downloadable information: https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/DoingOurBit/Get-Inspired/Clean-green- and-safe/Air-aware/Air-aware.aspx o To develop a joint Electric Vehicle strategy for the whole of Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent, including district partners and third parties. Staffordshire Moorlands Annual Status Report 2018 and 2019 iii The emerging Local Plan is at an advanced stage of production. The Local Plan is a District wide development plan which replaces the Staffordshire Moorlands Core Strategy (2014), and previous Local Plan to provide a framework for delivering development for the period 2016 to 2031. Several of the previous policies have been updated, to reflect a needed to improve the environment including air quality: Policy SD2: Renewable/Low-Carbon Energy; Policy SD4: Pollution and Water Quality; Policy DC1: Design considerations, has been updated to include air quality; Policy C1: Sustainability has been updated to promote the use of electric vehicles; and Policy T1 and T2 (Transport) seek to promote sustainable travel (travel plans, EV charging etc.) and minimise the environmental impact of freight transport. Conclusions and Priorities The key issue affecting the district is roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations in busy towns and at junctions where traffic regularly queues close to locations with relevant exposure. There is some evidence of a decline in concentrations at some locations in the results of the nitrogen dioxide monitoring carried out by SMDC. Monitoring of nitrogen dioxide in Leek town centre and at the Cellarhead junction has established measured exceedances of the annual mean nitrogen dioxide objective. SMDC has now declared two AQMAs at these locations, within which all of the 2017 and 2018 exceedances have occurred, and