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Air quality strategy

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Local authorities play a key role in improving our air quality and they do this through regulating industry and through the system of Local Air Quality Management (LAQM).

Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 places a statutory duty on local authorities to review and assess the air quality within their areas. Local authorities must work towards achieving objectives laid down in regulations for seven health based pollutants; Benzene, 1, 3 Butadiene, Carbon Monoxide, Lead, Nitrogen Dioxide, PM10 and Sulphur Dioxide.

The LAQM system came into effect in December 1997. Since then we have reviewed and assessed air quality on a rolling programme and have produced a series of reports as shown below.

In April 2005 an Air Quality Management Area was declared by means of a Council Order. This was declared as monitoring and computer modelling have shown that there is an exceedence of the annual mean air quality objective for nitrogen dioxide in a small area near the centre of Bridgnorth.

The Council is continuing with the monitoring of air quality in Bridgnorth, and has recently started monitoring at 3 sites in Much Wenlock in response to concerns from some residents over traffic congestion in the town.

Recently a draft Air Quality Action Plan has been developed. This aims to develop a series of measures to reduce air pollution in Bridgnorth, especially in the Air Quality Management Area.

The air quality reports and documents can be viewed here:

Draft Air Quality Strategy for Bridgnorth

The consultation on the draft air quality strategy has now ended. Thank you for your comments.

Download the Action Plan.

Nitrogen Dioxide monitoring

The Council has been carrying out monitoring for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) since 1994.

Monitoring is carried out using passive diffusion tubes as part of a national network. The small plastic diffusion tubes absorb Nitrogen Dioxide present in the air and are subsequently sent off for analysis under laboratory conditions.

Results are collated on a monthly basis and the values used to calculate annual average levels. The detailed results from the monitoring are shown the reports list above.

The main source of Nitrogen Dioxide is traffic and the pollutant has been linked with various health effects in humans including altered lung function, increased incidence of acute respiratory illness and increased susceptibility to infection. Young children and asthmatics may be particularly vulnerable. The number of monitoring sites has increased and there are now some 47 sites.

By the end of 2008 it is anticipated that there will be a new real-time state of the art monitoring station in Bridgnorth. This new monitoring station will be installed along Underhill St, and will contain an oxides of nitrogen analyser. This new analyser will provide rela-time hourly data on pollution concentrations, providing much greater information on air pollution in the town. The data will be made available on the website on a daily basis.

Tube Location Coordinates Annual Mean Bias Corrected Results
X Y 2004 2005 2006 2007
1 Whitburn Street - Bridgnorth 371548 293258 38.9 40.7 41.7 45.3
2 Church Street - Bridgnorth 371637 293297 19.7 25.4 23.3 21.4
3 Princess Drive - Bridgnorth 370789 294030 12.5 14.9 14.3 14.4
4 Morfe Road - Bridgnorth 372295 292999 14 15.1 14.2 14.7
5 Kidderminster Road - Bridgnorth 372161 292440 28.8 31 30.2 31.2
6 Mayploe/Crewes Broseley 367238 302674 11.3 11.9 12.3 11.8
7 Admirals Park - Shifnal 375066 308813 22.9 19.2 18.4 18.1
8 Tong island - M54 379880 306676 26.2 28.2 28 28
9 Town Hall - Bridgnorth 371624 293178 30.2 29.6 30.4 29.6
10 Moat Street - Bridgnorth 371569 293344 34.8 36.6 36.2 37.3
11 Whitburn Street 2 - Bridgnorth 371429 293192 27.8 27.4 31.1 26
12 St Mary's Street - Bridgnorth 371423 292440 23.8 25.6 23.2 24.1
13 Pound Street - Bridgnorth 371345 293081 41.3 44.2 45 48.3
14 West Castle Street - Bridgnorth 371636 292933 22.2 25 26.1 22.8
15 Ebenezer Row - Bridgnorth 371520 292885 28.8 31.9 32.3 31.2
16 Lavington Court - Bridgnorth 371790 292819 40.1 40.9 41.5 41.4
17 Underhill Street - Bridgnorth 371809 292969 27.2 27.5 27.5 27.1
18 Charles Fox - Bridgnorth 372155 292961 27.3 29.8 28.7 28.7
19 Mill Street - Bridgnorth 372060 293129 35.1 38.3 36 37
20 Bryan & Knott Whitburn St - Bridgnorth 371580 293257 N/A 38.5 40.6 37.8
21 NAT WEST - High St 371597 293214 N/A 24.7 26.9 26.3
22 Wetherspoon - High St 371590 293288 N/A 33.2 33.1 33.1
23 Simply the Best - Whitburn St 371507 293233 N/A 35.2 37.3 41.6
24 Travel Wallet - Whitburn St 371492 293215 N/A 34.7 38 33.7
25 Citizens Advice Bureau - Whitburn St 371355 293140 N/A 32.4 25.8 30.1
26 Majestic Cinema - Whitburn St 371450 293188 N/A 28.9 31.2 27.9
27 Smithfield - Whitburn St 371393 293189 N/A 28.9 27.7 29.5
28 50 Whitburn St - Bridgnorth 371323 293132 N/A 52.6 52.9 62.9
29 Adj Rutters Salop St - Bridgnorth 371289 293106 N/A 34 34 36.8
30 10 Salop St - Bridgnorth 371259 293123 N/A 28.3 24.8 27.6
34 Southalls Tobacconist Listley St - Bridgnorth 371614 293060 N/A 27.4 24.6 26.5
35 Trevor Phillips Opticians Waterloo Terrace - Bridgnorth 371652 293069 N/A 27.7 28.2 26.6
36 WH SMITH - High St Bridgnorth 371634 293092 N/A 26.3 26 25.1
37 The Shakespeare - Bridgnorth 371652 293016 N/A 31 31.2 30.7
38 Old Post Office Postern Gate - Bridgnorth 371643 293028 N/A 25.1 25.4 24.4
39 Bridge 55 High St - Bridgnorth 371638 293151 N/A 29.6 29.6 29.5
40 Market House Listley St - Bridgnorth 371590 293045 N/A 22.5 22.7 21.6
41 Elcock Reisen Northgate - Bridgnorth 371546 293365 N/A 30.5 31.1 30.5
42 Westgate House Salop St - Bridgnorth 371186 293161 N/A 24.7 24.7 26.6
43 Opposite Endowed School - Northgate Bridgnorth 371524 293430 N/A 34.3 33.5 33.3
44 Woodlands Road - Broseley 367308 302705 N/A 11.3 12.3 13.4
45 Delphside - Broseley 367486 301704 N/A 16.1 16.9 16.7
46 High St - Club Broseley 367292 301902 N/A 19.8 20.7 18.8
47 Broseley C of E School 367788 302103 N/A 12 12.5 13.9
48 Library - Bridgnorth 371524 293017 N/A 27.5 28.5 24.9
49 45 Listley St - Bridgnorth 371419 293020 N/A 26 24.1 24.4
50 30a Salop St - Bridgnorth 371220 293124 N/A 34.4 37.1 36.8
51* Sheinton House Sheinton St - Much Wenlock 362190 300319 N/A N/A N/A 29.7
52* 39 Sheinton St - Much Wenlock 362233 300261 N/A N/A N/A 22.3
53* Gaskell Corner - Much Wenlock 362099 299775 N/A N/A N/A 29.5

Notes

Results in Bold are exceedences of air quality objective 
Results highlighted in Light Blue are for sites discontinued in 2007 
Results with a tube number marked with a * are new sites started in 2007 
Results highlighted in Dark Blue are within the AQMA 

All results expressed as µg/m3

The objective is that after the year 2005 the annual average must be below 40 µg/m3.

For more information please contact Environmental Health
Telephone 01746 713155
Fax: 01746 764414
E-mail: health@bridgnorth-dc.gov.uk

Links to other air quality information

www.airquality.co.uk

*www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality *

www.dh.gov.uk

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