Agenda item

The Committee was provided with additional papers to help in the review.

 

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on "Air Quality: outdoor air quality and health" provided information of road traffic related air pollution and its links to ill health. The paper provided details on how to improve air quality and so prevent a range of health conditions and deaths. 

Other documents provided to Members were

·           "Improving Air Quality in the City of London" which provided a practical guide for City businesses 

·         "What is a Low Emission Neighbourhood"

·           "Clean Air for Schools" - case studies of pilot projects, which Hillingdon was one of the three partners in the pilot.

·           Mayor of London's Healthy Streets Initiative

·           Selborne Road Air Quality Improvement Scheme

Dr Mike Holland, Member of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution and the Council's Head of Planning and Enforcement attended the meeting to provide evidence to Members

 

Background to the Clean Air Act

 

The Committee was informed that the Clean Air Act 1956 was enacted in response to the "Great Smog" of London in 1952.   The Act introduced a number of measures which aimed to reduce air pollution, especially by introducing "smoke control areas" in some towns and cities in which only smokeless fuels could be burned.

 

By shifting homes' sources of heat towards cleaner coals, electricity, and gas, this reduced the amount of smoke pollution and sulphur dioxide from household fires.

 

Members were informed that this legislation was an important milestone in the development of a legal framework to protect the environment.

 

Reference was made to the impact on health of poor air quality and to studies which had proved that exposure to poor air quality resulted in cancers, respiratory problems such as asthma.

 

Poor air quality had been described as the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK, known to have more severe effects on vulnerable groups, for example the elderly, children and people already suffering from poor health such as respiratory disease.

 

Reference was made to the development of the Air Quality Action Plan which would ensure that improvements to health were an important objective in terms of the outcomes of the actions to be included.

 

 

 

2004 Air Quality Action Plan

 

Dr Holland outlined to the Committee details of the 2004 Plan which was divided into the following areas:

 

·         Switching to cleaner transport modes

·         The tackling of through traffic

·         Promoting cleaner vehicle technology

·         Measures specific to Heathrow Airport

·         Measures concerning local businesses and industry

·         Making improvements through the planning system

·         Working with regional and central government

 

The Committee was informed that overall there had been improvements made to air quality as a result of the Action Plan.

 

For example, all schools in the Borough now had travel plans; there had been an increase in the number of dedicated cycle and walking paths. New developments were required to produce air quality assessments and include mitigation to reduce their impact on pollution. Reference was made to "AirText" which was a free service which residents an people working in the Borough could sign up to, whereby users were alerted to when a pollution episode was predicted.

 

Highways and Road Network

 

There had been focus on transport and traffic with mitigation measures detailed in the plan. Reference was made to the impact of Heathrow Airport and the Committee noted that Hillingdon had no direct control over the airport; however liaison should continue to ensure that Heathrow Airport considered the introduction of measures to improve air quality as a priority.

 

Members were informed that the Highways Agency did take into consideration Air Quality when undertaking highways and road works. Reference was made to the introduction of the M4 Smart Motorway and the air quality mitigation measures which had been requested.

 

Members were provided with pollution maps which indicated the same distribution of pollution as that for the original Action Plan in 2004. It was evident that the higher levels were found to the south of the Borough, with Heathrow airport an easily identifiable pollution hotspot.

Reference was made to the road network through the Borough such as the A40, the A312, M4, A4, Uxbridge Road, which majorly contributed to the pollution levels and congested high streets and road junctions added to the local levels of pollution.

 

Discussion took place on the ranking of cars in relation to air quality and the higher emissions from diesel cars. Reference was made to Clean Air Zones which restricted or charged certain classes of vehicles and tended to operate around schools.

 

How the Planning System could improve Air Quality

 

The Head of Planning and Enforcement attended the meeting and presented details of what planning could do to in terms of improving air quality.

 

The Committee was informed that major developments could be asked to have a low emissions approach, which encompassed a more holistic approach to improving air quality/minimising exposure.

 

Achievement of the most would be a pre-application stage and could include:

 

·         Setting back residential buildings from main roads;

·         Siting play areas away from roads;

·         Energy provision in developments to be low emissions

·          Easy access to public transport;

·          Adequate, appropriate and well located green space and infrastructure.

Examples were given of good practice: At stage 3 of the Stockley Park Development, "green walls" were constructed which helped soak up the air pollution. At St Helens School, which was a National Eco School, revolutionary eco measures had been included such as solar panels, green roofs, natural lighting and ventilation.

Possible planning conditions which could be added to approvals could be: that the content of Air Quality Reports were complied with, a Fleet Management Condition be added which stipulates the use of low emission vehicles, no idling etc, Green Travel Plans, Sustainability Condition and Clean Energy Conditions which could include the use of low emission boilers.

Reference was also made to the continued use of s106 funds which could be sought to fund local air quality monitoring in the location and support actions within the Air Quality Plan to make improvements in the local area.

The Committee asked that officers consider the development of a planning best practice guide for air quality. This could be an amendment to the current Air Quality Supplementary Planning Guidance.

 

Suggestions / other initiatives

 

Members discussed the evidence given and asked whether consideration could be given to a new publicity campaign for raising awareness of pollution issues e.g. Clean Air Act and what it meant. This was raised in relation to wood burning which took place throughout the Borough and caused hazards, which included air pollution.  

 

Further work could take place with schools to consider "no idling" signs and the enforcement of "no idling". The introduction of "stop and drop" areas, close to schools.

 

Reference was made to making comparisons to the air quality outside of schools in term-time and in non term-time. This could help in raising awareness with parents of the pollution issues outside individual schools. School air quality champions could be appointed and School Travel Plans could be updated to enable them to be effective in terms of reducing pollution;

 

Discussion took place around promoting greater cycling, particularly on the Borough's footpaths and canal towpaths. Officers were asked to consider the logistics of joint footpaths/cycle paths;

 

Air Quality Focus Areas, officers were asked to consider the concept of the action plan including the development of bespoke action plans for each Focus Area 

 

RESOLVED –

 

1. That the witnesses be thanked for the evidence submitted and the information be used as part of the review

 

2. That officers be asked to provide the information   outlined above, together with inviting relevant witness to the next meeting of the Committee.