Highways & Neighbourhoods Cabinet Member – Minutes – 10 December 2012

123 (30) SCUNTHORPE AIR QUALITY ACTION PLAN (AQAP) REVIEW 2012The Director of Places submitted a report seekingapproval for the updated Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) for the 2005 Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) for Scunthorpe.

The council had updated the 2008 Scunthorpe AQAP.  It showed what the council and its partners had done to try and improve pollution levels in Scunthorpe. The council declared the AQMA in 2005 due to breaches of the daily mean air quality objective for PM10 dust pollution.

There had been a general reduction in the number of days recording high pollution within the AQMA.  It should be noted that pollution levels would be affected by weather conditions such as wind direction and rain.  The recession and significant downturn in steel production at the site would also affect the number of high pollution days.

Each action point within the plan showed who was responsible for carrying out the action, time-scales and how the action was progressing. Actions were grouped into the sections below:-

  • Air Quality Monitoring and Reports
  • Information to the Public
  • Bonfires and Non-Permitted Process Emissions
  • Industry
  • Development Control
  • Tailpipe Emissions

Work had begun, and in many cases been completed, on all of the actions in the first plan. As the high dust levels were mainly from steelworks emissions both the Environment Agency (EA) and Tata Ltd played an important role in carrying out the actions.

The report gave details of further work that had been in done with regard to the action plan.

Resolved – That the updated Scunthorpe Air Quality Action Plan be approved.