Air Quality Consultation Launched For Lancaster City Centre

Residents are being asked to voice their views on the air quality in Lancaster city centre.

From expressing their pollution concerns, to the measures they would like to see in place to improve it – such as idling enforcement, more electric charging points or walking and cycling initiatives.

Submitted views on the short survey, will be fed into the Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP), which outlines the options Lancaster City Council is considering, to improve air quality in the city centre between now and 2029.

Local authorities are required to monitor local air quality to identify where national air quality objectives are not being met. This led to air quality management areas (AQMA) being designated in Lancaster in 2004; Carnforth in 2007; Galgate in 2009, due to exceedance of the limits.

The AQMAs were revoked in Galgate and Carnforth following a public consultation in June 2024, as the air quality at these locations had been in line with national objectives for the past six years.

Will Griffith, Chief Officer for Environment and Place, said: “Poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health with long-term exposure being the cause of chronic diseases.

“The measures in the draft AQAP have been proposed as actions that will help contribute to the reduction in Nitrogen Dioxide (N02 - a gas that contributes to air pollution), in line with national objective levels.

“The city council has taken steps to improve the city’s air quality such as enhancing the EV charging infrastructure and improving cycling and pedestrian routes to get more people walking and cycling.

“But we are interested in what the public think and feel about city centre air pollution. This survey will help us to find out about what measures residents would like to see put in place in the coming years.”

The survey, which closes on December 8, can be found at lancaster.gov.uk/air-quality-consultation

Last updated: 25 November 2024