Local Air Quality Management

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The Process

The Government anticipates the levels of air pollution to decrease nationally such that the outdoor non occupational air quality will fall within the National Air Quality Standards in all but very localised pollution hot spot areas. This is where Local Air Quality Management fits in. Its main purpose is to identify and deal with potential local pollution hot spot areas in which members of the public are exposed to air quality which is unlikely to comply with the standards. These could represent small locations within built up busy streets, to whole areas containing several busy roads and or factories for example. Local Air Quality Management encompasses:

a) Air Quality Review & Assessment

This is applied to identify local pollution hot spot areas, to determine their boundary's and hence to designate Air Quality Management Areas, click on the link above for more information.

b) Air Quality Action Planning

Development and application of projects and schemes to improve the specific local air quality so as to ensure compliance with the National Air Quality Standards, in the Air Quality Management Area(s).

c) Local Air Quality Strategy

Oversees the consideration of air quality in a much wider sense. A strategy aims to achieve comprehensive air quality improvement in a Local Authority's area rather than just at the Air Quality Management Area(s). It is particularly important in areas where the air quality is borderline in relation to the standards, click on the link above for more information.