Issue - meetings

          The Board received a report from the Director of Public Health which provided an update on the outcome of a public consultation on the revocation of the air quality management areas in Widnes Town Centre.

          The public consultation ran for 3 weeks from 17 May 2023 – 7 June 2023.  In total, 7 responses were received and these were outlined in appendix 1 of the report. 

          In 2011, the high levels of Nitrogen Dioxide measured 49µg/m³  against the UK legal limit of 40µg/m³.  Since then, a number of developments have resulted in a significant improvement in air quality.  These included improvements in vehicle emission technology and the opening of the Mersey Gateway Bridge in 2017 i.e. reduced traffic congestion in Widnes Town Centre.  Levels of Nitrogen Dioxide were now consistently below the UK legal limit. 

          The proposal was therefore to revoke the air quality management areas, which included Deacon Road Albert Road and the Peelhouse Lane area, and the area around Milton Road and Simms Cross.

          The Board discussed the information presented in the report and the following comments were noted:

·       The Liverpool City Region have a zero output target by 2040, however, it was suggested that as Halton is a much smaller Authority it should looking to reach this goal by 2035;

·       Members asked what the Council did to make air quality better.  It was noted that there was an Air Quality Action Plan which included improving the fuel efficiency of buses, preventing delivery vehicles from leaving engines running and timing of traffic light sequences.

RESOLVED:  That the Board:

1)    consider the consultation responses alongside the observations of the Council’s Environmental Protection Team;

2)    endorse the proposal to revoke the air quality management areas in Widnes Town Centre;

3)    support that a report be presented to the Council’s Executive Board recommending that the air quality management areas in Widnes Town Centre are revoked; and

4)    note that should the air quality management areas be revoked there will be a requirement for Halton to produce a Borough-wide Air Quality Strategy.