LISBURN CITY COUNCIL June 2013 2014 Air Quality Progress Report for Lisburn City Council In fulfillment of the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 - Local Air Quality Management June 2014 Progress Report i LISBURN CITY COUNCIL June 2013 Local Sally Courtney Authority Cheryl Harkness Officer Department Environmental Services Address Island Civic Centre, The Island, Lisburn BT27 4RL Telephone 02892509401 e-mail [email protected] [email protected] Report LCC 2014 Reference number Date June 2014 ii Progress Report LISBURN CITY COUNCIL June 2013 Executive Summary The Air Quality Strategy has established the framework for air quality management in the UK. Local Authorities have a duty under the Environment Act 1995 and subsequent regulations to review and assess air quality in their areas on a periodic basis so as to identify all areas where the air quality objectives are being or are likely to be exceeded. A phased approach has been adopted for the review and assessment process so that the level of assessment undertaken is commensurate with the risk of an exceedence of an air quality objective. An updating and screening assessment (USA) is required to be prepared every three years by all local authorities in the UK. The last updating and screening assessment of air quality was undertaken in 2012 and the next is due by the end of April 2015, with two interim progress reports. This report is the 2014 progress report and has been completed using the recommended template. The assessment is fully compliant with the applicable policy and technical guidance. Lisburn city council is located southwest of Belfast and is the second largest Council in Northern Ireland, it covers 174square miles and has a population of over 121,000. Spanning parts of southwest County Antrim and Northwest County Down, the Council stretched from Glenavy and Dundrod in the north to Dromara and Hillsborough in the South, and from Drumbo in the east to Moira and Aghalee in the west. The progress report identified no exceedences with relevant exposure, of the Air Quality Strategy objectives for 2013 for any of the pollutants assessed. No AQMA’s are currently declared in Lisburn City Council Area. Progress Report iii LISBURN CITY COUNCIL June 2013 Table of contents 1 Introduction 6 1.1 Description of Local Authority Area 6 1.2 Purpose of Progress Report 7 1.3 Air Quality Objectives 7 1.4 Summary of Previous Review and Assessments 9 2 New Monitoring Data 10 2.1 Summary of Monitoring Undertaken 10 2.2 Comparison of Monitoring Results with Air Quality Objectives 17 3 New Local Developments 30 4 Planning Applications 31 5 Local Transport Plans and Strategies 32 6 Conclusions and Proposed Actions 33 6.1 Conclusions from New Monitoring Data 33 6.2 Conclusions relating to New Local Developments 33 6.3 Proposed Actions 33 7 References 35 iv Progress Report LISBURN CITY COUNCIL June 2013 Appendices Appendix A: QA/QC Data List of Tables Table 1.1 Air Quality Objectives included in Regulations for the purpose of Local Air Quality Management in Northern Ireland. Table 2.1 Details of Automatic Monitoring Sites Table 2.2 Details of Non- Automatic Monitoring Sites Table 2.3a Results of Automatic Monitoring for Nitrogen Dioxide: Comparison with Annual Mean Objective Table 2.3b Results of Automatic Monitoring for Nitrogen Dioxide: Comparison with 1-hour Mean Objective Table 2.4 Results of Nitrogen Dioxide Diffusion Tubes Table 2.5 Results of PM10 Automatic Monitoring: Comparison with Annual Mean Objective Table 2.6 Results of SO2 Automatic Monitoring: Comparison with Objectives List of Figures Figure 2.1 Map(s) of Automatic Monitoring Sites Figure 2.2 Map(s) of Non-Automatic Monitoring Sites Figure 2.4 Trends in Annual Mean Nitrogen Dioxide Concentration Measured at Diffusion Tube Monitoring Sites. Progress Report v LISBURN CITY COUNCIL June 2013 1 Introduction 1.1 Description of Local Authority Area Lisburn City Council covers an area totalling 174 square miles of southwest Antrim and northwest Down stretching from Glenavy and Dundrod in the north to Dromara and Hillsborough in the south, and from Drumbo in the east to Moira and Aghalee in the west. The population is approximately 121,000 and it is bounded by Belfast City Council, Craigavon Borough Council, Castlereagh Borough Council, Banbridge District Council Antrim Borough Council and Down District Council. The major road network within the Lisburn consists of the M1 dissecting the Borough on its route from Belfast and bordering on Dunmurry, Lisburn and Moira. The A1 takes a route out of Belfast through the centre of Dunmurry and Lisburn town. At Sprucefield it forms a junction with the M1 and then takes a route, bordering on Hillsborough, towards Dublin. 6 Progress Report LISBURN CITY COUNCIL June 2013 1.2 Purpose of Progress Report Progress Reports are required in the intervening years between the three-yearly Updating and Screening Assessment reports. Their purpose is to maintain continuity in the Local Air Quality Management process. They are not intended to be as detailed as Updating and Screening Assessment Reports, or to require as much effort. However, if the Progress Report identifies the risk of exceedence of an Air Quality Objective, the Local Authority (LA) should undertake a Detailed Assessment immediately, and not wait until the next round of Review and Assessment. 1.3 Air Quality Objectives The air quality objectives applicable to LAQM in Northern Ireland are set out in the Air Quality Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003, Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland 2003, no. 342, and are shown in Table 1.1. This table shows the objectives in units of microgrammes per cubic metre g/m3 (milligrammes per cubic metre, mg/m3 for carbon monoxide) with the number of exceedences in each year that are permitted (where applicable). Progress Report 7 LISBURN CITY COUNCIL June 2013 Table 1.1 Air Quality Objectives included in Regulations for the purpose of Local Air Quality Management in Northern Ireland. Pollutant Date to be Concentration Measured as achieved by Benzene 16.25 µg/m3 Running annual 31.12.2003 mean 3.25 µg/m3 Running annual 31.12.2010 mean 1,3-Butadiene 2.25 µg/m3 Running annual 31.12.2003 mean Carbon monoxide 10.0 mg/m3 Running 8-hour 31.12.2003 mean Lead 0.5 µg/m3 Annual mean 31.12.2004 0.25 µg/m3 Annual mean 31.12.2008 Nitrogen dioxide 200 µg/m3 not to be 1-hour mean 31.12.2005 exceeded more than 18 times a year 40 µg/m3 Annual mean 31.12.2005 Particles (PM10) 50 µg/m3, not to be 24-hour mean 31.12.2004 (gravimetric) exceeded more than 35 times a year 40 µg/m3 Annual mean 31.12.2004 Sulphur dioxide 350 µg/m3, not to be 1-hour mean 31.12.2004 exceeded more than 24 times a year 125 µg/m3, not to be 24-hour mean 31.12.2004 exceeded more than 3 times a year 266 µg/m3, not to be 15-minute mean 31.12.2005 exceeded more than 35 times a year 8 Progress Report LISBURN CITY COUNCIL June 2013 1.4 Summary of Previous Review and Assessments Lisburn City Council has completed the following reviews and assessments of air quality in earlier rounds of the assessment process: Stage 1 Report (LBC, 2000) The first stage review and assessment found that the air quality objectives for 4 of the 7 specified parameters namely carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, PM10 and sulphur dioxide were all unlikely to be achieved by 2003-2005. Stage 2/3 Air Quality Review The stage 2/3 review for road emissions and domestic fuel (LCC, 2003, 2004) combustion concluded that an Air Quality Management Area (AMQA) should not be declared for NO2, PM10 and SO2, as there were not predicted to be exceedences of the air quality objectives. Progress report (LCC,2005) This reported data for 2004.The progress report concluded that PM10, NO2 and SO2 were not predicted to cause exceedences of the air quality objectives at relevant receptors. Updating and Screening This reported data for 2005. This indicated that current Assessment (USE, 2006) objectives in relation to SO2, NO2 and PM10 would be achieved at the location of the automatic monitoring stations. Progress report (EG, 2007) This reported the 2006 measurements Progress report (EG, 2008) This reported the 2007 measurements It continues to be the case that no current air quality objectives are being exceeded in the Lisburn City Council area. PAH levels are being monitored in Dunmurry as earlier studies have indicated elevated levels of this pollutant. Updating and Screening This reported 2008 measurements. Assessment (USA, 2009) Progress Report (LCC,2010) This reported 2009 measurements and all current objectives were achieved. Progress Report (LCC,2011) This reported 2010 measurements and all current objectives were achieved Updating and Screening This reported 2011 measurements, none of the pollutants Assessment (USA, 2012) monitored exceed the objective and a detailed assessment is not required. Progress Report (LCC,2013) This reported 2012 measurements and all current objectives were achieved Progress Report 9 LISBURN CITY COUNCIL June 2013 2 New Monitoring Data 2.1 Summary of Monitoring Undertaken 2.1.1 Automatic Monitoring Sites Lisburn City Council monitored NOx using a chemiluminescence analyser at Lagan Valley Hospital. This site was decommissioned in July 2013 due to equipment failure and as levels had remained below the objective for a number of years it was felt sufficient data had been obtained. The last fully ratified data was obtained on 24th June 2013. The Dunmurry High School site monitoring, SO2, PM10 and PM2.5 , had to be urgently relocated in June 2012 due to the closure of the school.