Air quality orders set to be lifted thanks to fall in pollution

The three air quality management areas (AQMAs) cover Barton Street (city centre), Priory Road (on the A417) and Painswick Road (in the city centre).

Defra, the government department that oversees air quality, says AQMAs should be revoked when they’re no longer needed.

Since the zones were put in place the council has monitored and managed traffic related pollution but is now able to lift the AQMAs following improvements.

The move follows a recent consultation carried out by the city council into ways to improve further the city’s air quality, and also to review its Air Quality Action Plan.

Breathing in polluted air is one of the biggest environmental risks to public health and costs the NHS and society billions every year.

Air pollution is a factor in heart disease and cancer and can cause a range of health problems.

Over recent years there’s been a fall in harmful traffic emissions across the UK. This is thought to be due to drivers replacing older vehicles with newer ‘cleaner’ models and more people working from home.

The Gloucester City Council Air Quality Action Plan includes a range of measures that the council plans to use to improve air quality across the whole district, working with local partners.

Key proposals include encouraging developers to include electric vehicle charging points in all new homes and expanding cycling infrastructure and one-way systems.

The council is also looking at expanding the city’s smoke control area to limit harmful emissions from chimney fires.

Burning the correct fuels at home means that households will use less fuel, reduce the risk of chimney fires, and lower the exposure to smoke and carbon monoxide, which can be harmful.

Councillor Sebastian Field, Cabinet member for the Environment at Gloucester City Council, said: “I’m pleased that improvements in air quality mean that we can now remove these air quality management areas. 

“We will of course be keeping a close eye on air quality across the city, and we will continue with our air pollution monitoring, but for now this is great news. Air pollution is a major issue which affects us all, but particularly the most vulnerable in society including children and the elderly.

“So I will be pushing for us to go even further, working with our partners to achieve ever greater improvements and to make Gloucester a greener and more pleasant place to live.”