Views sought on air quality action plan

Blaby District Council has launched a consultation on a blueprint for how it will take action to improve air quality and reduce pollution.

People are being asked their views on the new draft Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) which will run from the end of this year until 2029.

It replaces the 2021-25 plan which saw significant progress in tackling pollution hotspots along busy traffic corridors.

All local authorities have a duty to measure air quality in its area and submit annual reports to the Government.  If pollution is above target levels, then an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) must be declared. This involves specialist monitoring and an action plan of measures to tackle the problem. 

In 2024, four AQMAs, along the A5460 Narborough Road South, M1 corridor in Enderby and Narborough, M1 corridor between Thorpe Astley and Kirby Muxloe, and Enderby Road, Whetstone were revoked due to positive steps taken to reduce air pollution in these areas. 

All showed huge improvements in air quality with levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) below Government set limits over the last five years. 

NO2 is a harmful pollutant found in traffic fumes which can cause or make worse breathing problems.  

Two AQMAs, Mill Hill in Enderby and Lubbesthorpe Road in Braunstone Town remain. Neither site is currently exceeding target levels but long-term monitoring must continue for a period of least three years to show a sustained reduction.

In this new document the Council sets out priorities such as promoting electric vehicles, fostering behaviour change, encouraging active travel and ensuring its own regulatory and enforcement powers are used to prevent pollution.

Councillor Les Phillimore, Blaby District Council Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services, said: "Our ongoing actions to limit pollution and improve air quality do seem to be having a positive impact. There are many things out of our control with regard to pollution and air quality but we are committed to do all we can within our remit.  

"Air pollution is recognised as a contributory factor for the onset of heart disease and cancer. It is a threat to anyone with existing respiratory issues. We must do our utmost then in efforts to improve air quality for the benefit of our residents. 

"It’s encouraging we now only have two active sites where nitrogen dioxide levels have been unacceptably high and even these have shown recent improvements. Our work will continue."

The draft AQAP can be viewed here: Current consultations 

The consultation runs until 29 October.

Any comments on the draft action plan should go to environmental.services@blaby.gov.uk 

Councillor Les Phillimore
Portfolio Holder for Housing, Community and Environmental Services

Notes to editors: 

Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 (as Amended 2021) sets out the National Air Quality Objectives. These should be considered as the maximum levels of air pollution to which people should be exposed. These objectives are: 

• the annual average level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in a location should be no higher than 40µg/m3, that is, 40 micrograms of NO2 per cubic metre of air
• the hourly average level of Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in a location should be no higher than 200µg/m3
• The District now has a number of local Zephyr air quality monitoring stations in local areas. These feed data into a real-time portal so people can check the air quality levels in their neighbourhoods. You can find more information on air quality levels and the portal here: Air Quality