The Environment Act 1995 (Part IV) requires Suffolk Coastal to
carry out periodic reviews of current and likely future air quality
in its area under the
Local Air Quality Management (new window)
regime. These reviews follow Government guidance issued in 2000
and 2002 that set health-based air quality objectives for seven
key pollutants and target dates for their achievement.
All
air quality reports produced by Suffolk
Coastal since 1999 are available on this website for you to view
or download.
Local review and assessment
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
has set out a phased approach to local review and assessment that
becomes increasingly more detailed. At the end of the review and
assessment, if any of the objectives are not likely to be achieved
by the target dates, the Council must declare the location as an
Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and prepare an action plan to
make improvements.
We have now completed three full rounds of review and assessment
looking at air quality within the district. The first was completed
in 2001, the second in 2005 and the third was in 2008.
The air quality investigations have culminated in the
declaration of 2 AQMAs within the district, both for annual mean
nitrogen dioxide. More information regarding each AQMA is available
if you follow the links below:
Progress Report 2010
The initial stage of the fourth round of review and assessment,
the
Updating and Screening Assessment, was
completed in 2009 and did not identify any new areas of concern
within the district. It advised that work was continuing in
order to assess biomass combustion equipment within the
district.
For 2010 and 2011 annual Progress Reports are required to
provide updates on air quality in the district. The Progress Report
for 2010 can be viewed by following the link below:
The Progress Report confirms no new areas of concern within the
district and provides updates on the two AQMAs declared. With
regard to biomass combustion equipment, 21 sites have been
identified which require a screening assessment. Insufficient
information is currently available to allow us to undertake these
screening assessments - we are pursuing this data. Progress on, and
results of, the biomass screening assessments will be detailed in
the 2011 Progress Report, which is currently being written.
Further Assessment for the Felixstowe AQMA
Following the declaration of the AQMA at Ferry Lane, Felixstowe
in 2009, a Further Assessment was completed in April 2010. This was
sent to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and
gained approval. The Further Assessment looked at additional
monitoring data collected for the AQMA and other nearby locations.
It also re-modelled pollutant concentrations at receptor locations
around the port boundary for nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and
particulate matter (PM10).
The modelling assessment confirmed the findings of the 2008
Detailed Assessment, with exceedance of only the annual mean
objective for nitrogen dioxide predicted at the Dooley Inn Public
House on Ferry Lane. No exceedances of any other pollutant
objectives are predicted at any receptor locations. The Further
Assessment confirms that the AQMA should be retained.
Finalised Air Quality Action Plan for the Woodbridge AQMA
Following a full public consultation from March to May 2010, the
Action Plan for the Woodbridge Junction AQMA was finalised in
February 2011 and has received approval from Defra.
The public consultation was very successful producing a large
number of comments covering the majority of the measures in the
plan. Responses to all consultation replies have been included in
the Action Plan and a number of additional investigations have been
commenced as a result.
Send us your views and comments
We are always looking for local views on air quality within the
district and would welcome your comments - they will help shape
future investigations and reports.
You can email your views and comments to
environmental.protection@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk
or you can send them to:
Principal Environmental Health Officer,
Environmental Protection,
Suffolk Coastal District Council,
Melton Hill,
Woodbridge,
Suffolk IP12 1AU.
We may not be able to reply directly to every response, but be
assured that all comments received will be taken into account.
For more information about air quality in the district you can
contact our Environmental Protection team on 01394
444624 or email
environmental.protection@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.