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Where the air quality objectives are unlikely to be met by the designated target dates, local authorities must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and then develop Action Plans in pursuit of those objectives.
As a result of the Council's local air quality review and assessment work, an AQMA was declared in 2006 for part of Alcester Road, Studley ( see Studley Air Quality Management Area Plan ), due to road traffic emissions generally and HGV emissions in particular.
Following declaration of the AQMA, the Council, in partnership with Warwickshire County Council (WCC) as the Local Transport Authority and assisted by outside consultants, set about the Further Assessment needed to confirm the previous findings and to prepare for the Action Planning process that had to follow.
The aim of the Plan is to find the most cost effective methods of improving air quality and to encourage active public participation by consulting the local community and raising awareness of air pollution issues.
A copy of the draft Plan for Studley that is currently being considered by the Council is available here, whilst a questionnaire that can be used by anyone who wants to influence the process can be downloaded here.
In the meantime, as part of the ongoing Review and Assessment process, the Council has continued to monitor air quality at 30 locations across the District. Its most recent work, in 2008, has confirmed that a number of locations in Henley-in-Arden, in Wood Street, Greenhill Street and Grove Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, and in Tiddington Road, Stratford-upon-Avon are unlikely to meet the annual mean air quality objective for Nitrogen Dioxide.
It has therefore been recommended that Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) should be declared for exceedences of the nitrogen dioxide annual mean objective at each of those locations. The geographical extent of the AQMAs for the towns of Stratford and Henley was the subject of detailed public consultations in 2009 following which it was decided to declare the whole of Stratford town and just the affected junction and surrounding area of Henley-in-Arden.
The Stratford AQMA came into effect on 22nd January 2010 and the one for Henley is expected shortly. Copies of the relevant documents can be accessed below:
Updating and Screening Assessment (2006)
Progress Report (2008)
Detailed Assessment (2008)
Updating and Screening Assessment (2009)
Stratford AQMA Order (2010)
Stratford AQMA Plan (2010)
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