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Decision Maker: Executive Councillor for Climate Action and Environment
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Recommend to instruct officers to work in partnership on the detail and implementation of an updated Air Quality Action Plan.
Matter for
Decision
The Officer’s
report described the current air quality in Cambridge, briefly summarised
recent activity to reduce the levels of airborne pollution and set out the
pathway and ambition for the next ten years, through a revised Air Quality
Action Plan (Appendix A). The Plan contributes to the Corporate Objectives, the
Local Transport Plan and contributes to the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment on
public health. It will be aligned with the City Deal.
There is a
statutory requirement for both the City and the County Councils to work towards
reducing levels of air pollution under the Local Air Quality Management regime
(Environment Act, 1995, Part IV).
Most air pollution
in Cambridge is caused by traffic, therefore the Plan
is focussed on this, but does include other measures that can be taken to
effect a positive change. Air quality will remain under pressure because of
growth in and around Cambridge as more people and jobs come to the area. Future
improvement is dependent on accelerating and stimulating the shift to ultra-low
emission vehicles for both private and public fleets with continued traffic
restraint.
The proposed Air
Quality Action Plan 2015 – 2025 contributes towards all three strands of the
Cambridge City Council Vision:
· One Cambridge –
Fair for all.
· Caring for our
environment and our people.
· Creating a great
place to live, learn and work.
The ambition of
the Air Quality Action Plan is for Cambridge to become a low emission city,
with clean fresh air for all residents, visitors and workers in the City. The
outcome must be to achieve compliance with national targets for air quality and
ensure that they are maintained.
Decision of the
Executive Councillor for Environment, Waste and Public Health
Instructed Officers to:
i.
Engage with stakeholders, such as Cambridgeshire
County Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, and partners, such as
local businesses, to develop the detail of the Air Quality Action Plan 2015 –
2025 and to implement the Plan over the next 10 years.
ii.
Report back to the Environment & Scrutiny
Committee with a completed Air Quality Action Plan and update on interim
progress in 12 months’ time (March 2016).
Reason for the Decision
As set out in the Officer’s report.
Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected
Not applicable.
Scrutiny
Considerations
The Committee received a report from the Environmental Quality &
Growth Manager.
In response to the report the Committee asked if the Council could
implement a Single Transport Scheme through the City Deal program. The
Executive Councillor said strategic boundaries were being set now, operational details would be covered later.
In response to Members’ questions the Environmental Quality & Growth
Manager said the following:
i.
Noted Councillor’s comments that the Council
monitored air quality, but others had levers to improve it. However, the
Council could take improvement action such as applying for Central Government
funding to bring in low emission vehicles. A working group had been set up with
County Council and private sector colleagues to bid for funding to undertake
various work in future.
ii.
The ongoing growth in the greater Cambridge area
attracted more residents and more jobs, which could lead to increased traffic.
Roads were approaching maximum capacity so traffic levels could not rise much more
if further houses were built, but emission levels may rise.
iii.
The purpose of the proposed Air Quality Action
Plan, 2015 – 2025 was to reduce pollution across the city. It had been
declining in the city, but developments on the outskirts were pushing up
pollution levels there.
iv.
The Plan set out the future strategy and actions to
take in the face of new technology to achieve change and engage with
stakeholders. Work linked into other initiatives such as the City Deal and
20mph project.
v.
There is a mix of intermittent and continuous air
quality monitors around the city. The Environmental Quality & Growth
Manager undertook to provide Mill Road sensor figures to Councillor Robertson
in response to resident’s concerns.
The Committee unanimously resolved to endorse the recommendations.
The Executive Councillor
approved the recommendations.
Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor
(and any Dispensations Granted)
No conflicts of interest
were declared by the Executive Councillor.
Publication date: 22/05/2015
Date of decision: 17/03/2015