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Air Quality report

Published: 18/05/2018

Flintshire County Council Cabinet Members will be asked to note the contents of the North Wales Combined Authority Air Quality Report when it meets later this month. All Councils have a legal obligation to monitor and assess the air quality of their County, as directed by Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. The report provides a detailed assessment of the region’s air quality. Specifically for Flintshire, the main source of air pollution is road traffic emissions from major roads linking England to the rest of North Wales. Having considered each pollutant and reviewed any new developments in the region that could adversely impact air quality (such as landfill sites, quarries, industrial sites, etc), it was concluded that the local authorities should continue to maintain their monitoring programmes. No Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) were declared in North Wales, consequently no further action is needed. Overall, air quality is considered to be good within the region, however as Nitrogen Dioxide and Particulate Matter currently have no safe threshold it is desirable to keep levels of pollution as low as reasonably practicable. Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Public Protection, Councillor Chris Bithell, said: “Air quality management is a public health priority. We must work together to improve the air people breathe. Our Public Services Board is committed to maintaining air quality and this should be an opportunity to raise the profile of this area of work and seek to further improve our air quality. The Council and its partners should strive towards lowering the levels of pollution, as this will improve health outcomes for the residents of Flintshire.”