Local Air Quality Management Air Quality Action Plan for Rushmoor Borough Council May 2006 Rushmoor Borough Council Air Quality Action Plan Title: Local Air Quality Management - Air Quality Action Plan for Rushmoor Borough Council Report Ref: AQAP 1 Author of report Nicholas Jenkins Principal Pollution Control Officer Rushmoor Borough Council Environmental Health Services Council Offices Farnborough Road Farnborough GU14 7JU 01252 398135 [email protected] Name Signature Date Author: Nicholas Jenkins 31 May 2006 (Principal Pollution Control Officer) Approved Helen Lolley 31 May 2006 by: (Environmental Health Manager) This report is available to download (as .pdf) from Rushmoor’s website at: http://www.rushmoor.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=810 This report should be read with specific reference to Rushmoor Borough Council’s ‘Further Review & Assessment, 2005’ report. Page 2 of 110 Rushmoor Borough Council Air Quality Action Plan DEFRA ACTION PLAN REQUIREMENTS COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST This checklist has been introduced to indicate where the work expected by defra has been undertaken in relation to our Action Plan. Work area Included or Location within considered the report and comments Process Consideration of Policies Adherence to Guidelines • Have Statutory Consultees been consulted? Yes Section 5.4 • Have other LA departments been consulted? Yes Section 5.4 • Statement of problem causing AQMA Yes Section 2.2 & 3 • Have the principle sources of pollutants causing the Yes Section 3 exceedance been identified? • Have other LA plans/policies been considered? Yes Section 7.1.5 & 8 • Has an options timescale been included? Yes Section 6 & 7 • Have cost of options/plan been set out? Yes Section 6 & 7 • Have impacts been assessed? Yes Section 6 & 7 Process – Checklist of Measures • Have options been considered? Yes Section 6 & 7 • How many options have been considered? Twenty eight Section 6 & 7 • Have transport impacts been assessed? Yes Section 6 & 7 • Have air quality impacts been assessed – modelled Yes Section 6 & 7 or measured? • Have Socio-economic impacts been assessed? Considered Section 6 & 7 • Have other environmental impacts been assessed? Yes Section 6 & 7 (noise) • Have costs been considered? Yes Section 6 & 7 Appropriateness and Proportionality • Do measures seem appropriate to the problem? Yes Section 6 & 7 • Have the measures been assessed? Yes Section 6 & 7 • Are the measures likely to achieve the stated goal? Not individually, but Section 6 & 7 several together will. • Have the wider impacts been appraised Yes Section 6 & 7 appropriately? • Was the method of assessing costs appropriate? Yes Section 5.4, 6 & 7 • Is it likely for LAQM objectives to be met? Yes Throughout • Do the chosen measures comply with wider Yes Section 2 Government Policies Implementation • Are measures realistic in light of the objective Yes Throughout deadlines? • Have responsibilities been assigned to the relevant Yes Section 6 & 7 party? • Does the assigned party have the necessary Yes Section 6 & 7 powers? • Has financing been secured and who will pay? Not for all options Section 6, 7 & 9 Page 3 of 110 Rushmoor Borough Council Air Quality Action Plan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the UK, air pollutants come from a range of sources; these include transport (mainly road traffic), industry, domestic sources, aviation and natural sources. The Environment Act 1995 places a duty on local authorities to review and assess the air quality in their area for key pollutants against national standards and objectives laid down in the Air Quality (England) Regulations 2000 and Air Quality (England)(Amendments) Regulations 2002. Following the identification of a likely exceedance of the annual nitrogen dioxide (NO2) Air Quality Objective, Rushmoor designated an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), in November 2004 between junctions 4 & 4a of the M3 motorway, extending 51 metres either side of the centreline. A map of this area is shown in Section 2.2. As a result we are required to prepare this Air Quality Action Plan. The action plan indicates what measures have been considered for reducing NO2 levels within the AQMA to meet the objective. It includes simple estimates of the costs involved in implementing each measure, the positive and negative effects of each measure both inside and outside of the AQMA and the feasibility of each action on a cost-effective basis. Other non air quality issues such as reduction in noise levels, improved road safety etc have also been considered. The estimates of cost and effectiveness categorised into low, medium or high. (See Appendix A). Rushmoor has worked with external organisations, and internal departments, in identifying the feasible measures included in the action plan and which organisations are responsible for implementing them. This action plan has identified two main categories of actions that affect the pollution levels within the AQMA and the borough. These are direct actions and indirect actions. The report concludes there are twenty feasible options out of twenty-eight that were considered and these are summarised in Appendix B. Page 4 of 110 Rushmoor Borough Council Air Quality Action Plan AIR QUALITY ACTION PLAN REPORT CONTENTS Section Title Page Contact details 2 Action plan compliance checklist 3 Executive summary 4 Air Quality Action Plan Report Contents 5 1 Structure of this report 8 2 Introduction & purpose of the action plan 9 2.1 Legislation & key pollutants 9 2.2 Local Air Quality Management history in Rushmoor 12 3 Sources of pollution in AQMA 14 4 Health impacts of nitrogen dioxide 16 5 Air Quality Action Plan 17 5.1 Air Quality Action Plan 17 5.2 Air Quality Action Plan Aims & Objectives 18 5.3 Timescales 19 5.4 Air Quality Action Plan consultees 19 5.5 Action Plan Matrix 20 6 Possible Direct Actions to improve air quality within the AQMA 21 6.1 Source apportionment 21 6.2 Direct action within the AQMA 21 6.2.1 Speed regulation and enforcement (Option 1) 22 6.2.2 Multiple-occupancy lanes and enforcement (Option 2) 25 6.2.3 Crawler lanes (Option 3) 27 6.2.4 Motorway tolls (Option 4) 29 6.2.5 Improve road signage (Option 5) 31 6.2.6 Enforce ‘driving on the left’ (Option 6) 33 6.2.7 Tree Planting (Option 7) 35 6.2.8 Overview of direct actions 37 Page 5 of 110 Rushmoor Borough Council Air Quality Action Plan 7 Possible indirect actions to improve air quality within the AQMA 38 7.1 Indirect actions outside the AQMA 38 7.1.1 Education 39 7.1.1.1 Enforce ‘driving on the left’ (Option 6) 40 7.1.1.2 Encourage alternative transport modes (Option 8) 42 7.1.1.3 Alternative fuel schemes or fuel efficient vehicles (Option 9) 44 7.1.1.4 Travelwise (Option 10) 46 7.1.1.5 Increase air quality information dissemination (Option 11) 48 7.1.1.6 General health education (Option 12) 50 7.1.1.7 Better driving techniques (Option 13) 52 7.1.1.8 Overview of indirect actions – education 54 7.1.2 Travel plans 55 7.1.2.1 Work travel plans (Option 14) 56 7.1.2.2 Safe routes to school (Option 15) 59 7.1.2.3 Rushmoor Borough Council travel plan (Option 16) 61 7.1.2.4 Overview of indirect action – travel plans 63 7.1.3 Enforcement 64 7.1.3.1 EPA90 and PPC99 (Option 17) 65 7.1.3.2 Clean Air Act 1993 (industrial smoke control) (Option 18) 67 7.1.3.3 EPA90 (statutory nuisance) (Option 19) 69 7.1.3.4 Overview of indirect actions - enforcement 71 7.1.4 Other road schemes 72 7.1.4.1 Improve east/west routes through Farnborough (Option 20) 73 7.1.4.2 Reduce junction congestion (Option 21) 75 7.1.4.3 Co-ordinate roadworks (Option 22) 77 7.1.4.4 Adjust speed limits on county roads (Option 23) 79 7.1.4.5 Overview of indirect actions – other road schemes 81 7.1.5 Planning 82 7.1.5.1 Local Development framework (Option 24) 83 7.1.5.2 Section 106 agreements (Option 25) 85 7.1.5.3 Overview of indirect actions - planning 87 7.1.6 Do nothing 88 Page 6 of 110 Rushmoor Borough Council Air Quality Action Plan 7.1.6.1 Do nothing (Option 26) 89 7.1.6.2 Overview of indirect actions – do nothing 91 7.1.7 Air quality monitoring 92 7.1.7.1 Air quality monitoring (Option 27) 93 7.1.7.2 Overview of air quality monitoring 95 8 Community Strategy for Rushmoor 96 8.1 Community Strategy (Option 28) 98 8.2 Overview of Community Strategy for Rushmoor 100 9 Option Funding 101 10 Glossary of terms and References 102 10.1 Glossary of terms 102 10.2 References 103 Appendices A AQAP matrix – All options considered 104 B AQAP matrix – Feasible options 108 Page 7 of 110 Rushmoor Borough Council Air Quality Action Plan 1 STRUCTURE OF THIS REPORT This report is structured as follows: Section 1 Overview of the sections in this report Section 2 Introduction & purpose of the action plan Section 3 Sources of pollution in the Air Quality Management Area Section 4 Health effects of nitrogen dioxide Section 5 Air quality action plan Section 6 Possible direct actions to improve air quality within the AQMA Section 7 Possible indirect actions to improve air quality within the AQMA Section 8 Community strategy for Rushmoor Section 9 Option funding Appendices Air quality action plan matrices Page 8 of 110 Rushmoor Borough Council Air Quality Action Plan 2 INTRODUCTION & PURPOSE OF THE ACTION PLAN 2.1 Legislation & Key Pollutants Modern day pollution sources, such as from industry and road traffic emissions, led to the development of a European Union directive on air quality.