ENVIRONMENT & HIGHWAYS CABINET BOARD 4TH JULY 2013 ENVIRONMENT SERVICES REPORT OF THE HEAD OF PLANNING – N PEARCE INDEX OF REPORT ITEMS PART 1 – Doc.Code: EHB-040713-REP-EN-NP SECTION A – MATTERS FOR DECISION Report Item Page Wards Affected Nos 1. 2013 Air Quality Progress Report 2-7 All EHB-040713-REP-EN-NP 1 ITEM NO.1 PART 1 SECTION A 2013 AIR QUALITY PROGRESS REPORT Purpose of Report To obtain Members endorsement of the 2013 Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) Air Quality Progress Report, which deals with air quality data for the calendar year of 2012. Approval is also sought to provide this report to Welsh Government in accordance with their requirements. An executive summary of the draft Air Quality Progress Report is enclosed. Additionally, a copy of the full draft document is available from Democratic Services and will be available at the meeting. Background The Environment Act 1995 requires local authorities to review and assess air quality within their administrative areas. A report must be prepared each year. An Updating and Screening Assessment must be carried out once every three years and one of these was conducted last year. An Air Quality Progress Report must be carried out in every other year. Where an assessment report identifies a potential breach of air quality objectives, then a Detailed Assessment must be carried out. If a Detailed Assessment confirms that a breach of air quality objectives is likely then an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) must be declared. The report shows that all of the LAQM pollutants complied with air quality objectives with the exception of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at one house at No.1 Victoria Gardens in Neath. The non-compliance at this location was estimated as it is not possible to measure at the frontage of the property due to considerations of health & safety. Furthermore, the continuous analyser operating in that area had only been operating for part of the year. Consequently, it was considered unsafe to declare an AQMA on the basis of this data. Rather, the report recommends proceeding to a Detailed Assessment of air quality for data the calendar year of 2013. The report also deals with other pollutants not covered by LAQM such as PM2.5, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, metals (e.g. nickel), ozone and nuisance dust. Financial Implications Air quality has improved following investment by industry and regulators. EHB-040713-REP-EN-NP 2 Considerable investment over a number of years has been made by the Council in installation and maintenance of a comprehensive air quality monitoring system and website information and data handling systems. The costs of improvements and maintenance are taken from existing budgets. Consultation Outcome This report is not subject to consultation. Sustainability Appraisal Good air quality is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of the community and air quality has improved within the AQMA so that Port Talbot has not breached European PM10 limits since 2007. Indeed, the lowest ever number of recorded PM10 exceedances were recorded during 2012. Recommendation I RECOMMEND 1) that the improvement in air quality in Port Talbot is noted and endorsement is given to the 2013 Air Quality Progress Report, and 2) that the 2013 Air Quality Progress report is provided to the Welsh Government in accordance with their requirements. Reasons for Proposed Decision To comply with government regulations on air quality. List of Background Papers None. Wards Affected All wards. Officer Contact Geoff Marquis, Climate Change Manager Tel.No. 01639 686555 E.Mail: [email protected] EHB-040713-REP-EN-NP 3 ITEM NO.1, PART 1, SECTION A - COMPLIANCE STATEMENT 2013 AIR QUALITY PROGRESS REPORT Implementation of Decision The decision is proposed for implementation after the three day call-in period. Sustainability Appraisal Community Plan Impacts Economic Prosperity - Positive Education and Lifelong Learning - Positive Better Health and Well Being - Positive Environment and Transport - Positive Crime and Disorder - No impact Other Impacts Welsh Language - No impact Sustainable Development - Positive Equalities - No impact Social Inclusion - Positive (c) Consultation This item has been subject to internal and external public consultation. EHB-040713-REP-EN-NP 4 2013 Air Quality Progress Report for Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council In fulfillment of Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 Local Air Quality Management Date (July, 2013) Local Authority Martin Hooper Officer Department Environment Quays Brunel Way Address Baglan Energy Park Neath SA11 2GG Telephone 01639 686517 e-mail [email protected] Report Reference E2/16/9f number Date 06 June 2013 EHB-040713-REP-EN-NP 5 Executive Summary Measurements of PM10 in Port Talbot revealed the best ever results during 2012 with only 11 exceedances of the daily averaged air quality objective at the official monitoring site. However, a further period of low pollution combined with normal production at the steelworks is required before consideration can be given to the Air Quality Management Area being revoked. PM2.5 concentrations easily comply with the EU Target and Limit values which are to be met by 2015. Once again, there were no problems with levels of lead, arsenic or cadmium. Nickel levels were compliant with the EU Target at three out of four locations, the exception being Tawe Terrace. This site is close to the Wall Colmonoy works, which makes extensive use of the metal in the manufacturing process. A great deal of work is being undertaken to attempt to further reduce nickel levels at this site. Levels of sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide complied with air quality objectives. Ozone concentrations exceeded the UK recommended air quality objective again during 2012, but this is a common occurrence across the country. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) at Port Talbot exceeded the UK air quality objective but easily complied with the EU Limit value. PAH levels are not currently improving. Nitrogen dioxide complied with air quality objectives at all locations except one at Victoria Gardens in Neath. It was not possible to monitor at this property due to health & safety reasons and less than a full year of data was used in order to estimate levels at this site. It is therefore considered unsafe to declare an Air Quality Management Area for this location yet. Rather, another Detailed Assessment of air quality will be undertaken in order to have more confidence for any decisions made. Nuisance dust measurements once again show that the highest fallout rates are encountered in Port Talbot, with Prince Street being the only site with average concentrations greater than the “limit” of 200 mg/m2/day. However, fallout rates at this site were significantly down, although there were some data loses. The local air quality strategy (“airWise”) has recently been redrafted and is currently out to consultation. EHB-040713-REP-EN-NP 6 The next course of action will be to submit the 2014 Air Quality Progress Report and conduct another Detailed Assessment of the annual averaged air quality objective for nitrogen dioxide at Cimla Road, Victoria Gardens. EHB-040713-REP-EN-NP 7 Table of Contents 1 Introduction 11 1.1 Description of Local Authority Area 11 1.2 Purpose of Progress Report 11 1.3 Air Quality Objectives 12 1.4 Summary of Previous Review and Assessments 14 2 New Monitoring Data 18 2.1 Summary of Monitoring Undertaken 18 2.2 Comparison of Monitoring Results with Air Quality Objectives 40 3 New Local Developments 112 3.1 Road Traffic Sources 112 3.2 Other Transport Sources 114 3.3 Industrial Sources 114 3.4 Commercial and Domestic Sources 115 3.5 New Developments with Fugitive or Uncontrolled Sources 115 4 Local / Regional Air Quality Strategy 116 5 Planning Applications 117 6 Air Quality Planning Policies 119 7 Local Transport Plans and Strategies 121 8 Implementation of Action Plans 122 9 Conclusions and Proposed Actions 127 9.1 Conclusions from New Monitoring Data 127 9.2 Conclusions relating to New Local Developments 128 9.3 Other Conclusions 128 9.4 Proposed Actions 129 EHB-040713-REP-EN-NP 8 List of Tables Table 1.2 Summary of previous air quality reports 16 Table 2.1 Details of Automatic Monitoring Sites 23 Table 2.2 Details of Non- Automatic Monitoring Sites 31 Table 2.3 Results of Automatic Monitoring for NO2: Comparison with Annual Mean Objective 41 Table 2.4 Results of Automatic Monitoring for NO2: Comparison with 1-hour Mean Objective 43 Table 2.5 Results of NO2 Diffusion Tubes 2012 45 Table 2.6 Results of NO2 Diffusion Tubes (2008 to 2012) 51 Table 2.7 Results of Automatic Monitoring for PM10: Comparison with Annual Mean Objective 55 Table 2.8 Results of Automatic Monitoring for PM10: Comparison with 24-hour Mean Objective 58 Table 2.9 Results of Automatic Monitoring for SO2: Comparison with Objectives 60 Table 2.10 Results of Automatic Monitoring of carbon monoxide 61 Table 2.11 Annual ozone exceedances 2000 – 2012 64 Table 2.12. Benzo[a]pyrene annual averages 1999-2012 65 Table 2.13 Annual average metal concentrations during 2012 70 Table 2.14. Fallout categories as defined by NPT 74 Table 2.15. Sites ranked by average fallout level (mg/m2/day), 2012 108 Table 2.16 Long term deposition rates 110 Table 3.1. Part B permits issued during 2012 114 Table 9.1 Action Plan Progress 123 List of Figures Figure 1.1 Taibach Margam AQMA 14 Figure 2.1Map of Automatic PM10 Monitoring Sites 20 Figure 2.2Map of Automatic NO2 Monitoring Sites 21 Figure 2.3 – NO2 analyser at Cimla Road/Victoria Gardens in Neath 22 Figure 2.4 – NO2 analyser at Pontardawe Post Office 22 Figure 2.5.