air quality Management

Improving The Quality of the Air We Breathe

Good air is essential for our health, quality of life and the environment. Pollution may have harmful effects – particularly for people with pre-existing respiratory problems. Your Council has the central role in managing the air we breathe.

The UK Air Quality Strategy places a duty on Local Authorities to work towards improving local air quality. In 1997 the Government devised the UK Air Quality Strategy, based upon legislation contained within the Environment Act 1995.

Under this legislation, Local Authorities, including Barnsley MBC, are required to periodically review the air quality in their areas, by assessing the concentrations of seven important airborne pollutants against health based air quality standards or objectives. (These standards are different from the air pollution bandings we compare Barnsley’s air quality against on a daily basis). The pollutants are 1,3 butadiene, benzene, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, fine particles (referred to as PM10 particles) and sulphur dioxide.

If it is then found that the air quality standards are being exceeded for one or more of the pollutants, then the Local Authority has to declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), and then devise an Action Plan. The Action Plan will contain measures to attempt to reduce air pollution to more acceptable concentrations. Barnsley currently has four AQMAs.

The first AQMA, one hundred metres either side of the central reservation of the M1 motorway in the Borough, was declared in 2001. This AQMA has been declared due to forecast nitrogen dioxide concentrations exceeding the annual average air quality standard of forty micrograms per cubic metre in 2005. As a result of declaration of the AQMA, the M1 Action Plan has now been published. Latest Progress with the Action Plan measures are discussed in the Air Quality Progress Report (.pdf 400KB).

Three further AQMAs were declared in June 2005, these being two along the A628 between Town End Roundabout and Dodworth Road, and one at the junction of the A61 Wakefield Road and Burton Road. Again, the AQMAs have been declared due to forecast exceedence of nitrogen dioxide annual average standard. The maps below show the three AQMAs. The Council will now be working on measures to tackle air pollution in these areas.

Links to Air Quality Progress Reports are given below:

Action Plan Annual Progress Report 2004 (.pdf 64KB)
Action Plan Annual Progress Report 2005 (.pdf 704KB)
Action Plan Annual Progress Report 2006 (.pdf 392KB)
Action Plan Annual Progress Report 2007 (.pdf 400KB)

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