Consultation on a revised Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) for Durham City

Where air pollution levels are higher than the relevant objectives, we must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and bring in an AQAP to improve air quality. We are currently consulting on a revised AQAP which sets out how we intend to improve air quality in Durham City.

Background

'Air quality' is the term we use to describe the levels of pollution in the air we breathe in. When air quality is poor, pollutants may impact on people's health, particularly the young, the elderly and those with lung or heart conditions.

Clean air is a basic requirement for a healthy environment. Air quality has improved a lot in recent decades, but there are still some parts of Durham City where there are levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) (a pollutant) higher than the Annual Mean Air Quality Objective. We are committed to reducing, as soon as possible, the levels of air quality pollutants in our air, and therefore we are developing a revised action plan to help improve the air quality in Durham City.

The Durham City AQMA was declared in 2011 and we adopted an initial AQAP in 2016.

The AQAP

The initial AQAP focused on actions to try and reduce NO₂ to national targets. We have now reviewed and revised the current plan, which now includes 21 actions to help reduce and maintain NO₂ levels to below the air quality objective, and then maintain these levels going forward. As part of this process, we recently held an event in Durham City to bring together the local community, including local businesses, residents' groups, and partners, to share and discuss their views on the draft actions and invite suggestions for alternatives to help us develop the draft AQAP.

View the draft Plan and 21 actions

We need to make the Action Plan available as part of this consultation, however, it does not currently comply with accessibility legislation. If, for any reason, you cannot access the document and need an alternative format, please Contact Pollution Control.

Draft Air Quality Action Plan (PDF, 7 MB)

Please read the 21 Actions Explained before you complete the survey as it provides some further information about some of the actions so they are clear to understand.

Air Quality Action Plan - 21 actions explained (PDF, 154 KB)

Have your say

We want your views on the 21 draft actions, and whether you have any suggestions for alternatives.

The closing date for comments was 5.00pm on Sunday 30 June 2024.

Next steps

Completed surveys will be analysed and all feedback considered before the plan is finalised and adopted by us later in the year. If you require any further information regarding the consultation process, please Contact Pollution Control.

Contact Pollution Control