Public Consultation on draft Air Quality Action Plan

Overview

Your Views: The Council’s Draft Air Quality Action Plan

This consultation seeks views on proposed measures to improve air quality in Winchester.

Following several months of evidence-gathering and consultation with stakeholder organisations, a new air quality action plan has been drafted. This includes measures which the Council can deliver and which we know will lead to a reduction in the emissions of pollutants on city centre roads by 2020.

The key measures already agreed by the Council for implementation are:

• Building on the Council’s current policy of differentiated parking charges to:

                            a) discourage diesel cars from coming into the city centre in favour

                                 of  low emission vehicles

                            b) encourage use of car parks outside the centre

• Reviewing and enforcing restrictions on delivery vehicles by time of day

• Delivery, if viable, of an additional Park and Ride site in North Winchester

• Ensuring that all Council-owned, leased, contracted or influenced vehicles that enter the Air Quality Management Area meet recognised low emission standards by 2020

• Ensuring that all other heavy duty vehicles entering the Air Quality Management Area meet recognised low emission standards by 2020 

• Adopting Air Quality Supplementary Planning Guidance to ensure there is no negative effect on air quality in the city centre from future developments

• Implementing a behavioural change campaign intended to encourage the transition to low emissions vehicles and a transition to public transport, walking or cycling where possible

• Participating in the County Council’s development of a City of Winchester Movement Strategy to explore other options such as further pedestrianisation of the city centre and/or changes to the existing one way system

Before responding to the questions set out in the consultation, we recommend that you read the draft Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) summary document together with the draft plan.

See link to AQAP below

Why your views matter

Poor air quality affects us all.  It presents a significant risk to public health, and may damage our historic buildings. The Council has a duty to ensure that local air quality meets legal limits as set out in The Environment Act of 1995.

Winchester has been named as the Best Place to Live in Britain more than once in recent times, but it does not consistently meet air quality standards in the city centre.  The Council is keen to tackle this challenge because it understands that good air quality is important to residents, and that businesses are keen to operate in a clean and healthy commercial environment.

The last AQAP for central Winchester was produced in 2006 (link to report) and is due to be replaced. The Council has considered a number of measures as the basis for the new plan, and is seeking feedback on the deliverability and practicality of the draft plan.

Please answer the questions on the following pages by the deadline of 10th February 2017. Feedback will be presented to Cabinet, along with any modifications to the proposed plan, when the AQAP is adopted in March 2017.

What happens next

The results of the consultation will be included in a report to be considered by a meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday 15th March. Cabinet will consider the options for improving Air Quality in Winchester which will form the basis of the finalised Air Quality Action Plan.  Following the Cabinet meeting the finalised Air Quality Action Plan will be published.