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Air quality

Updating and Screening Assessment 2006

View the Updating and Screening Assessment 2006 report (PDF 548KB)

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Air quality management area consultation

View the Chuckery Air Quality Management Area Consultation Notice and Draft Order (PDF 90KB)

Review and assessment of air quality

Stage 4 Review and Assessment of Air Quality May 2005 (PDF 1.7 MB)

Walsall Council is required to carry out detailed modelling in order to confirm its declaration under the Environment Act 1995 of five Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) associated with the M6 and other major roads. Consequently, Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants were commissioned to undertake this work across Walsall using traffic data for the major road network.

The council has also provided data for industrial processes likely to affect air quality within Walsall which has been used in conjunction with information from the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI).

Exceedances of the UK’s NO2 air quality objective have been predicted and these are shown as a contour plot for the areas of concern, which are broadly centred on the M6 corridor and main trunk roads. Modelling shows that the predicted areas of exceedance of the NO2 annual average Air Quality Objective extend outside the five original AQMAs.

Update and screening of air quality 2003

The Environment Act 1995 requires all Local Authorities to undertake regular assessments of air quality. The council is required to complete a second round of air quality reviews by April 2004. This involves a two-stage process of Updating and Screening Assessments (USA) followed by a Detailed Assessment if likely exceedences of the Government’s air quality objectives are identified.

The USA considers any changes in sources of pollution and public exposure since the 2002 review. Simple screening tools have been used to determine whether future pollution levels may exceed the Government's objectives. The report concludes that a Detailed Assessment will be required for lead, nitrogen dioxide and PM10. View the Update and Screening of Air Quality 2003 Report (PDF 624KB)

Review and assessment of air quality

Under the Environment Act 1995 Local Authorities have a mandatory duty to undertake periodic reviews of air quality in their areas and to assess whether or not relevant air quality standards and objectives will currently be met, or are likely to be achieved by prescribed deadlines.

Local Authority review and assessment is a phased process involving three stages. Stage one of the process involves an assessment of air quality based on a series of indicators (e.g., presence of major roads, polluting industries or mining activity), which aims to identify in general terms the likelihood of poor air quality being present. If unsatisfactory air quality is considered a possibility either currently or in the future a more detailed second and third stage review must be undertaken. The outcome of the review and assessment process determines whether or not an air quality management area should be declared.

Air quality management areas in Walsall

In April 2002 Walsall completed its review and assessment of air quality which identified five areas unlikely to meet the air quality target for nitrogen dioxide specified in the Government's Air Quality Strategy 2000 by the objective date of 31 December 2005. Where a review and assessment identifies areas unlikely to meet an air quality objective the Local Authority must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in accordance with the requirements of the Environment Act 1995. Accordingly, this Authority has declared AQMAs in those areas unlikely to meet the air quality objective for nitrogen dioxide. (Maps showing these air quality management areas are contained within the nitrogen dioxide addendum report which can be downloaded below).

Declaration of Borough Wide Air Quality Management Area 2006

Air quality reports

Air quality web links

Further information on air quality

Contact us

Pollution Control
Engineering and Transportation Services
Walsall Council
2nd floor, Civic Centre
Darwall Street
Walsall  
WS1 1DG

Telephone 01922 653348
Fax 01922 623234
Email pollutioncontrol@walsall.gov.uk

This page was last updated on 29 August 2008