Air Quality Action Plan formally adopted by Wiltshire Council

by Adrian Tatum

Wiltshire Council has formally adopted its Air Quality Action Plan, which details how it will continue to progress with improvements to air quality and health protection across the county.

The Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) fulfils the council’s statutory duties, as set out by the Local Air Quality Management Framework. It outlines the action the council will take to improve air quality in Wiltshire up to 2029. The action plan replaces the previous AQAP, which ran from 2015-2023.

The council currently has eight Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) declared in the county. These are Salisbury (in three separate areas within the city), Bradford-on Avon, Westbury, Marlborough, Devizes and Calne. An AQMA is an area where the local air quality is unlikely to meet the Government’s national air quality objectives, so the council applies special measures to make improvements.

Projects delivered directly and indirectly through the previous action plan include:

Ensuring Air Quality was incorporated into wider spatial planning and transport policy.
Supporting the implementation of LTP (Local Transport Plan) 3, where it brings about improvements in Air Quality. Including implementing key junction improvements identified by the Devizes Transport Strategy (including acceleration of A361/London Road junction improvements, and addition of new cycle towpaths improvements / contraflow cycle lane).
Establishment of local air quality groups to spearhead their own local initiatives to improve air quality within Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs).
Supporting bids to OLEV and for the introduction of electric buses in Salisbury.
Developing revised Supplementary Planning Guidance on air quality for developers.
Developing a dedicated Air Quality website giving access to data to Wiltshire residents and others.
Introducing a Know and Respond text service for vulnerable people to alert them of poor air quality episodes.

The council has designed actions that can be considered under the following broad topics:

Alternatives to private vehicle use
Environmental permits
Freight and delivery management
Policy guidance and development control
Promoting low emission transport
Promoting low emission plant
Promoting travel alternatives
Public information
Transport planning and infrastructure
Traffic management
Vehicle fleet efficiency

The action plan was formally adopted by Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet at its meeting on 19 March. This followed a period of consultation with a number of stakeholders last year, including National Highways, neighbouring local authorities, the Environment Agency, Defra and members of the public.

Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Waste and Environment, Cllr Dominic Muns, said: “I’m pleased we have finalised this action plan following a robust process and really worthwhile consultation. It is important that the plan will develop over time, and it sets out clear direction and priorities to support our efforts to improve air quality throughout the county.

“It is our responsibility to drive this plan forward but, alongside partners and the public, we all have a collective responsibility to do what we can to continue the progress which has seen pollutant trends moving towards an overall improvement in air quality in the county.”