Improving Air Quality - What the Council is Doing
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A Good Start - Plans and Strategies
The Council has already been making a difference to air quality by ensuring its consideration in a number of high level plans and strategies:
In response to Government guidance, the Local Strategic Partnership was formally established in North East Lincolnshire in October 2001. Its first task was the development of a Community Strategy. This identified a Common Outcome that "People in North East Lincolnshire live in a Safe and Clean Environment" and that "All people have access to the basics of life, good food, clean air and water, shelter and fuel at reasonable cost". In order to monitor progress against this outcome the strategy identifies performance indicators, one of which is for air pollution (Quality of Life Indicator 27 - QoL27), click on the link below for more information:
The Community Strategy also sets down a literal vision of North East Lincolnshire for 2022 and there are considerable opportunities to influence local air quality through Urban Renaissance projects such as the development of an Integrated Transport System. Clearly air quality is firmly embedded within the Community Strategy and as such the Local Strategic Partnership have signalled their commitment to addressing this issue.
This covers three years from April 2003 until March 2006. The purpose of the plan is to set out the most important things that the Council wants to achieve for the local Community over the next 3 years. The Council's contribution to the delivery of the Community Strategy is a major driver. The Plan includes a strategic statement that "People in North East Lincolnshire live in a safe and clean environment" and therefore includes air quality and in particular QoL27 as an indicator to be used to monitor progress (see above). Through the strategic statement, "Adults and families enjoy good health and lead a healthy lifestyle" , the Council will support the Environment Agency to improve air quality. Improving Air Quality is also consistent with the Council's organisational principle of "moving towards a more sustainable community, meeting social needs and promoting economic success whilst protecting and enhancing the built and natural environment".
This is a five year plan with several objectives, one of which is "to maintain and where possible enhance the environment and improve the health of people living in North East Lincolnshire through investment in transport systems which encourage the choice of more sustainable and healthier forms of transport". The Local Transport Plan is working towards achieving this objective through a number of measures with lower pollution levels being one of the main desired outcomes. Such measures include: ensuring that people have the information they need to make informed travel choices and encouraging them to choose wisely; making cycling, walking and public transport a more attractive alternative means of travel; managing traffic flows more effectively; and working with industry and freight operators to promote more sustainable ways of moving freight. The Council has set up both a Bus Quality Partnership and a Freight Quality Partnership with which to achieve some of these specific aims.
An important part of the Inform and Encourage Theme of the Local Transport Plan is to support the development of Business and School Travel Plans. The aim of these Travel Plans is to reduce the need to travel within an organisation and ensure that wherever possible the least polluting modes of travel are adopted.
Consistent with this is the alternative fuels trial in which a long term lease was signed for both a compressed natural gas and a liquid petroleum gas transit van in order to compare their environmental and economic effectiveness against a diesel powered equivalent. The results from this test proved to be in favour of the liquid petroleum gas van in terms of both the economic and environmental benefits, though this would change if the Powershift funding was ceased. The Council is now in a position to push forward the use of this cleaner transport
Integral within the Local Transport Plan is the Urban Traffic Control traffic signal system which also uses the SCOOT (Split Cycle Off-set Optimisation Technique). This is helping to smooth traffic flow, thus reducing congestion in the area, which can only be positive in terms of air quality.
This sets out the Council's land use policies up until 2006. It is the intention of the plan that land use planning in the area actively promotes the use of sustainable forms of transport and patterns of development, which reduce the need to travel. It is therefore closely linked with air quality and via two of the plans aims: "to maintain the well being of the environment, its resources and the health of its inhabitants" and "to safeguard and enhance the natural environment". In achieving these aims it has been and will continue to be necessary to consider air quality.
The Council has obtained independent accreditation with the Institute of Energy which demonstrates its commitment to the effective management of energy within its own assets and operations. The Council's Energy Strategy includes specific targets to limit the use of Fossil Fuels and move towards the adoption of renewable energy where possible. Aim 6 of the Strategy seeks to "reduce the environmental impact of the Council's operations through the conservation of natural resources and reduced emissions". By reducing the consumption of fossil fuels through improved building and plant efficiencies (for example high efficiency / low Nitrogen Dioxide boilers are installed where possible) the Council can minimise pollution arising out of its own activities and thus contribute to the improvement of local air quality.
This recognises that "environmental sustainability" is an important component of the tender evaluation process. In procuring services the Council can impact upon environmental sustainability in two respects:
a) At the contract preparation stage, by specifying products/services which minimise impact upon the environment. E.g. by purchasing liquid petroleum gas powered vehicles.
b) At the pre-tender stage - by selecting those potential providers who meet environmental standards and have appropriate procedures / accreditation.
In recognising environmental sustainability the procurement strategy may consequently result in a positive impact on local and national air quality.
"Waste", and the way in which it is managed, can have a significant impact on air quality issues. Many of the factors that can affect air quality are being addressed in the Waste Strategy. Collection issues must address vehicle selection where consideration needs to be given to exhaust emissions. This is why a decision was made to replace the diesel powered refuse truck fleet with a cleaner fleet of compressed natural gas trucks. This fleet will be coming up for renewal in 2005 at which time it is anticipated that even cleaner Euro IV diesel vehicles will be available.
In addition to vehicle selection, waste collection issues must address payload and efficient routing. It is essential that the number of journeys required to transport the waste to its point of further processing or disposal, is kept to a minimum and that the proximity is given due consideration when looking at available disposal options.
In 1998 the Council entered into a 25 year contractual arrangement for the disposal of its waste. The nature of the contract is to provide the framework for an integrated approach to waste disposal. This is to be achieved by:
a) Sourcing and utilising outlets for segregated materials to be recycled.
b) Making provision for segregated biodegradable garden waste to be subjected to the composting process.
c) The thermal treatment of the residual waste in a local Combined Heat and Power plant currently under construction in the industrial Humber Bank area.
d) For any remaining waste to be disposed of at the local licenced landfill site.
There is clearly potential for each of the disposal options to impact on air quality. In the case of options (a) and (b) consideration needs to be given to the proximity principal when selecting suitable outlets for recyclable materials as well as the mode of transportation. In the case of option (c) there are very stringent emission standards that must be met when operating this type of plant. In the case of (d) every effort needs to be made to minimise the amount of biodegradable waste that is disposed of in this way due to the need to minimise the production of greenhouse gases that inevitably occurs as a result of operating landfill sites.
A Good Start - Enforcement
- Local Air Pollution Control
This is the means by which local authorities regulate the emissions of air pollutants from the small / low polluting companies / businesses. A strict process of continual inspection by Council Officers ensures that these processes are operating to best practice and are in line with their operating licences. Failure to comply could mean the withdrawal of the operating licence. The Local Air Pollution Control regime is in the process of being phased out with the introduction of the EC directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control. This is sure to encompass even tougher constraints on the operating practises of companies. The large companies are regulated by the Environment Agency.
As well as those industries that are regulated by Local Air Pollution Control, the Council has the power to take reasonable steps to investigate and if appropriate, take formal action in the event of justified complaints of emissions of smoke, fumes or gases, dust, steam and smells that arise from both commercial and residential premises and which materially affect the use or enjoyment of other premises. Such emissions can effect local air quality and hence their abatement will reduce their overall impact.
In addition to Local Air Pollution Control and Nuisance, the Clean Air Act 1993 can also be used to control smoke, grit and dust from industry. This Act consolidated a number of other pieces of legislation which came about because of the toxic urban smog's of the 1950s. Under this Act, smoke control areas may be set up within an Authority's area.
Moving Forward
In addition to all the above the Council has developed an Air Quality Strategy called 'Breathing Space'. This is hoped will enable further improvements in air quality to be made throughout the area. For more information on the strategy:
This strategy is already making a difference with a recent succesful bid for new monitoring equipment and dispersion modelling software. Both will significantly enhance the Council's air quality assessment capabilities.
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