Action plan to tackle air pollution in district

Consultation on the options will be launched in December

An action plan is to be drawn up to tackle air pollution in parts of the Harrogate district amid concerns over two key areas.

Tests show that along the busy roads, York Place in Knaresborough and at the Woodlands Junction on Wetherby Road, there are high levels of nitrogen dioxide caused by traffic.

The two zones have now been declared Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) by Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) which has been instructed to draw up a strategy.

These Air Quality Plans (AQPs) must detail appropriate measures to reduce pollution and improve air quality, and will be submitted to the Dept for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for approval. It follows a consultation earlier this year on the depth and scope of what any such plan should cover.

Among the suggestions put forward, said Coun Phil Ireland, HBC’s cabinet member for sustainable transport, were a number of measures proposed by members of the public.

“Suggestions have included looking at how we can reduce vehicle idling, promoting good driving techniques and the use of car share, encouraging the use of public and sustainable transport, and the opportunity to secure grant funding to help improve efficiency of local bus fleets,” he said. “I would like to thank everyone who took part in our recent public consultation and all responses received will be considered and investigated further.

“A draft action plan will be produced within 12 months and the council will then ask residents and businesses for their views before a final plan is published.

Local authorities are legally required to monitor air quality in their areas, and results for York Place and the Woodlands junction showed these two areas exceeded national targets of 40 micrograms per cubic metre.

At Woodlands, tests showed, figures had risen from 39.9 to 48.4 between 2012 and 2015, and at York Place from 40.3 to 41.9.