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The 2010 Air Quality Updating and Screening Assessment| for Gloucester City Council has been submitted to the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
The 2009 Air Quality Updating and Screening Assessment| for Gloucester City Council has been accepted in full by DEFRA.
The report requires a detailed assessment at the small line of properties on Barnwood Road between the Cross Keys and Elmbridge Road. This area was assessed in previous years when it was found that the air quality was acceptable. The report also requires a detailed assessment for fine particles at dwellings near to Myers Road. Both reports should be completed by April 2010.
Air Quality Now|
Local air quality predictions by the Met Office for the next five days are available on the BBC Weather page|. The BBC issues warnings during its weather forecasts when air pollution is expected to be high. Air Quality alerts are also issued on CeeFax page 156. A forecast can be obtained on 0800 556677.
Air Quality Monitoring in Gloucester
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Gloucester City Council has been monitoring air quality for many years, and nowadays publishes reports on this website. Since the Environment Act of 1995, all local authorities have been required to investigate their areas for specified pollutants and publish reports which are assessed by experts for Central Government. All our reports since 2000 are available below|.
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The City has three Air Quality Management Areas| (AQMAs). These are all areas where the national air quality objective for nitrogen dioxide is likely to be exceeded in 2005.
What is an Air Quality Management Area?| There are about 200 such areas around England. This link shows you where they are across the country, and gives much general and background information. It also links to the Action Plans of local authorities, where these have been published. Local frequently asked questions|.
As we now have AQMAs, we must produce Air Quality Action Plans. The plan will decide on the possible actions to improve air quality, and decide which of all the possible actions are achievable. It will then propose a timetable for the various actions. The object of the plan will be to attempt to improve air quality in the areas, so that the AQMAs can be removed. The areas may well have different timetables for improvement. As the areas are mainly caused by traffic, the County Council will be involved in the solution, which will affect the progress of the Local Transport Plan|. This plan already considers air quality.
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We have consulted local residents on these plans during 2007.
Apart from the AQMAs described above, pollution in the city is considered not to be a problem. Monitoring is done in a number of areas using diffusion tubes such as those shown. The areas tested are changed from time to time. Results are published annually in the reports below.
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People often assume that the M5 Motorway is likely to be a source of pollution. It has been studied both on the city side and the other side by Stroud and Tewkesbury local authorities, and found not to cause pollution breaching the national objectives for air quality. An AQMA declared jointly by our neighbouring authorities for the other side of the M5 was removed after monitoring showed no problem. Note that junction 12 with its regular queues is outside the city and does not have residents nearby who might be affected by pollution. Monitoring continues in the city at two housing sites very near the motorway. The houses near to the northern bypasses were checked in early surveys and also found not to suffer air pollution.
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Air Quality Strategy
The county and the six district councils working together published an Air Quality Strategy for Gloucestershire| (775kB) in 2004. It was written by the University of the West of England Air Quality Management Research Centre and gives much useful background information.
The Third National Air Quality Strategy| was published in July 2007. It did not alter the air quality targets we have been working to.
Reports
The reports below are pdf documents. If you do not have a pdf reader, there is a link on our Environmental Health Homepage. Some of the files are large and you should be cautious about opening them if you do not have broadband. Paper copies can be supplied on Contact Us Online|.
A Source Apportionment for the AQMAs in Gloucester|. A technical paper apportioning pollution between different classes of traffic (December 2006).
Updating and Screening Assessment for 2005 (May 2006)
Progress Report for 2004 (March 2005)
Report| (248kB pdf)
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Map 1|
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Priory Road (149kB pdf)
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Map 2|
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Barton Street (185kB pdf)
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Map 3|
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Painswick Road (160kB pdf)
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Map 4|
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City Key Map (507kB pdf)
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Detailed Assessment of 5 areas in Gloucester (December 2004)
Updating and Screening Assessment for 2002 (May 2003) available on request.|
Air Quality Assessment Stages 2 and 3 (December 2000) available on request.|
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