North Warwickshire Borough Council 2020 Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR) In fulfilment of Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 Local Air Quality Management September 2020 LAQM Annual Status Report 2020 North Warwickshire Borough Council Local Authority Zoe Bickley/Matt Green Officer Department Environmental Health North Warwickshire Borough Council Address The Council House South Street Telephone 01827 715341 E-mail [email protected] Report Reference ASR20 number Date September 2020 LAQM Annual Status Report 2020 North Warwickshire Borough Council Executive Summary: Air Quality in Our Area The monitoring over this past 12 months has highlighted a couple of hotspots and as such, further monitoring within the localities of these has begun for 2020. A detailed or further assessment has not been considered necessary for any pollutant at this time. We will look again at this towards the end of 2020. Air Quality in North Warwickshire 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 areas1,2. The annual health cost to society of the impacts of particulate matter alone in the UK is estimated to be around £16 billion3. Actions to Improve Air Quality The relocation of the tubes this year has proven to be a worthwhile exercise as new hotspots have been identified. Following this, further monitoring has begun with locating more tubes around these hotspots. An Air Quality Supplementary Planning Document was also approved by the Council in September 2019 in a bid to help reduce air pollution issues at the planning stage. Active Traffic Management systems have been and are currently being installed upon sections of the M6 and M42 within North Warwickshire. This has been proven to increase traffic flow during periods of congestion on the motorway network and has subsequently had a positive effect on air quality in these areas. 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 LAQM Annual Status Report 2020 i North Warwickshire Borough Council Also as part of the Local Transport Plan, Warwickshire County Council has produced an Air Quality Strategy which details several measures that have been employed to improve air quality across the County. The Air Quality Strategy is contained in the Local Transport Plan and can be seen in full at http://apps.warwickshire.gov.uk/api/documents/WCCC-630-116. Conclusions and Priorities There are a number of measures being undertaken to deal with air quality at a regional level. At a local level North Warwickshire Borough Council have increased the locations of monitoring for NOx from January 2020 based on the results obtained in 2019. The results of which will be submitted in the next year annual status report. Local Engagement and How to get Involved If further information is required a copy of the previous Updating and Screening Assessment for North Warwickshire can be seen at https://www.northwarks.gov.uk/downloads/file/5944/updating_and_screening_assess ment_for_north_warwickshire_borough_council_2015. Also if you have any questions relating to air quality please contact the Environmental Health Department at North Warwickshire Borough Council on 01827 715341 or via e-mail at [email protected]. LAQM Annual Status Report 2020 ii North Warwickshire Borough Council Table of Contents Executive Summary: Air Quality in Our Area .......................................................... i Air Quality in North Warwickshire ........................................................................................ i Actions to Improve Air Quality ............................................................................................. i Conclusions and Priorities ................................................................................................. ii Local Engagement and How to get Involved ...................................................................... ii 1 Local Air Quality Management ........................................................................ 5 2 Actions to Improve Air Quality ........................................................................ 6 2.1 Air Quality Management Areas .............................................................................. 6 2.2 Progress and Impact of Measures to address Air Quality in North Warwickshire 6 2.3 PM2.5 – Local Authority Approach to Reducing Emissions and/or Concentrations.................................................................................................................. 6 3 Air Quality Monitoring Data and Comparison with Air Quality Objectives and National Compliance ...................................................................... 7 3.1 Summary of Monitoring Undertaken ...................................................................... 7 3.1.2 Non-Automatic Monitoring Sites..................................................................................... 7 3.2 Individual Pollutants .............................................................................................. 7 3.2.1 Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)................................................................................................... 7 Appendix A: Monitoring Results ............................................................................. 8 Appendix B: Full Monthly Diffusion Tube Results for 2019 ................................ 13 Appendix C: Supporting Technical Information / Air Quality Monitoring Data QA/QC ............................................................................................................. 15 Appendix D: Map(s) of Monitoring Locations and AQMAs ................................. 21 Appendix E: Summary of Air Quality Objectives in England .............................. 38 Glossary of Terms .................................................................................................. 39 List of Tables Table A.1 – Details of Non-Automatic Monitoring Sites ............................................... 8 Table A.2 – Annual Mean NO2 Monitoring Results .................................................... 10 Table B.1 - NO2 Monthly Diffusion Tube Results - 2019 ............................................ 13 Table E.1 – Air Quality Objectives in England ........................................................... 38 List of Figures Figure A.1 – Trends in Annual Mean NO2 Concentrations …………..………………..12 LAQM Annual Status Report 2020 iii North Warwickshire Borough Council Figure C.1 – National Bias Adjustment Factor Spreadsheet ….……………………...15 Figure C.2 – Annualisation Tool Version 1 …….…………………………………..…...17 Figure C.3 – Tube 7 Watling Street, Dordon Distance Correction …………………...18 Figure C.4 – Tube 11 Coleshill Heath Road, Coleshill Distance Correction ..………19 Figure C.5 – Tube 13 – Blythe Road, Coleshill Distance Correction…………………20 LAQM Annual Status Report 2020 iv North Warwickshire Borough Council 1 Local Air Quality Management This report provides an overview of air quality in North Warwickshire during 2019. It fulfils the requirements of Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) as set out in Part IV of the Environment Act (1995) and the relevant Policy and Technical Guidance documents. The LAQM process places an obligation on all local authorities to regularly review and assess air quality in their areas, and to determine whether or not the air quality objectives are likely to be achieved. Where an exceedance is considered likely the local authority must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and prepare an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) setting out the measures it intends to put in place in pursuit of the objectives. This Annual Status Report (ASR) is an annual requirement showing the strategies employed by North Warwickshire Borough Council to improve air quality and any progress that has been made. The statutory air quality objectives applicable to LAQM in England can be found in Table E.1 in Appendix E. LAQM Annual Status Report 2020 5 North Warwickshire Borough Council 2 Actions to Improve Air Quality 2.1 Air Quality Management Areas Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) are declared when there is an exceedance or likely exceedance of an air quality objective. After declaration, the authority must prepare an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) within 12-18 months setting out measures it intends to put in place in pursuit of compliance with the objectives. North Warwickshire Borough Council currently does not have any AQMAs. For reference, a map of North Warwickshire’s monitoring locations is available in Appendix D. 2.2 Progress and Impact of Measures to address Air Quality in North Warwickshire Defra’s appraisal of last year’s ASR concluded that the expansion of monitoring is supported. 2.3 PM2.5 – Local Authority Approach to Reducing Emissions and/or Concentrations As detailed in Policy Guidance LAQM.PG16 (Chapter 7), local authorities are expected to work towards reducing emissions and/or concentrations of PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter