Reference: / ASR17-098
Date of issue / August2017
Annual Status Report
The Report sets out the Annual Status Report, which forms part of the Review & Assessment process required under the Environment Act 1995 and subsequent Regulations.
Oadby and Wigston Borough Council currently have no AQMA, and consequentially no associated Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP). Nitrogen dioxide monitoring has been carried out across a network of 8 diffusion tube sites, with no exceedances of National Air Quality Objectives in 2016.
Traffic is the main source of NO2in the area, with the A6, A5199 and other busy roads running through the borough. The local authority has increased NO2 monitoring in South Wigston from the start of 2017, and continues to pursue measures to improve local air quality such as cycling to work and working from home schemes, promoting public transport, and introducing priority parking for low emission vehicles.
On the basis of the evidence provided by the local authority the conclusions reached are acceptable for all sources and pollutants.
The next step forOadby and Wigston Borough Councilis tosubmittheir 2018Annual Status Report.
Commentary
The report is well structured and provides all the information specified in the Guidance, following the latest template. The following comments are made:
- It is noted that the local authority has designated new diffusion tube sites close to the current Canal St/ Blaby Rd site at the start of 2017, in response to elevated NO2 concentrations at this site.
- These changes are warmly welcomed, and we encourage the council to continue to review where there may be other areas of relevant exposure with potential NO2exceedances, where monitoring has not yet taken place.
- Distance correction has been applied to the data, with the relevant background concentrations provided for each site in Appendix C.
- However, there appears to be slight discrepancies in final values compared to checks we have carried out for these calculations. We therefore recommend example calculations be provided to clearly outline how the NO2 fall off calculator has been used. A common basis for mis-calculation, is that the distances required in the calculator are not the same as listed in Table A.2. The calculator requests distance from kerb to receptor, which may be the addition of the two distances in Table A.2, rather than the distance to relevant exposure. If correct, this would reduce the distance corrected value for Site 11 to 36ug/m3(from 37.6ug/m3).
- The text in the report (p10) incorrectly refers to Updating and Screening Assessment. These reports are no longer relevant; this report should be referred to as an Annual Status Report (ASR). The text in this section also quotes the result of 37.6ug/m3 as significant. The report was also incorrectly labelled as USA 2017 when submitted on the RSW.
- It is unclear from the map in Appendix Dexactly where the sites are located in respect to adjacent roads and buildings. It would be useful for the local authority to include additional maps at smaller scales demonstrating the site locations more clearly.
This commentary is not designed to deal with every aspect of the report. It highlights a number of issues that should help the local authority either in completing the Annual Status Report adequately (if required) or in carrying out future Review & Assessment work.
For any other queries please contact the Local Air Quality Management Helpdesk:
Telephone:0800 0327 953
Email:
Appraisal Response Comment Form
Contact Name:Contact Telephone number:
Contact email address:
Comments on appraisal/Further information:
ASR Appraisal Report1