Air Quality
Last updated | 09/06/2008
Local Air Quality Management
All Local Authorities must review and assess air quality according to prescribed guidance. This involves considering present and future air quality in their area to determine if specified objectives are likely to be achieved by the relevant deadlines.
The Government has set targets for nine priority pollutants – benzene, 1, 3-butadiene, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, fine particles (PM10), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and sulphur dioxide. (Ozone and PAHs are being addressed nationally and do not need to be assessed by local authorities.) The targets have been set on the basis of scientific and medical evidence on the health effects of each pollutant and according to practicability of meeting the standards.
Recent findings based on samples taken at a number of locations in Perth indicate that local air quality is very good. Perth and Kinross meets all the Government’s targets except at a few traffic hotspots in Perth where those for the annual average levels of nitrogen dioxide and for particles in 2010 are unlikely to be met.
Perth and Kinross Council
Air Quality Report 2005 (PDF: 1.53Mb) comprised a Detailed Assessment of Air Quality in the Council area and a proposal for declaration of an Air Quality Management Area for particles and nitrogen dioxide to cover Perth. No adverse responses were received through the public consultation on the report and proposal which finished on 30 November 2005.
Perth and Kinross Council have a duty to declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), following the consultation process, because the targets for these two pollutants are predicted to be exceeded in areas where there is relevant public exposure. Perth and Kinross Council
Air Quality Management Area (No1) Order 2006 (PDF: 1.89Mb) comes into effect on 5 May 2006 and will remain in force until it is varied or revoked by a subsequent order. Click to view
map of the AQMA area (PDF: 2.38Mb).
As a consequence of declaring an AQMA, a further assessment of the air quality must be completed and reported on and an Air Quality Action Plan defined within 12 months and 18 months, respectively, from the date of declaration.
The Air Quality Action Plan which has to be developed for the AQMA must consider, and assess the sustainability of, all options available to the council for alleviation of elevated air pollution in the areas of exceedence. Periodic assessments of the outcomes of the Action Plan will be carried out and the Council will also continue to monitor and assess air quality for all the pollutants for which the Government has set targets.
An
Updating and Screening Assessment of Air Quality (PDF: 1.22Mb) 2006 in Perth and Kinross, based on data from 2005, has concluded that our air quality is still generally very good except at some “hotspots” in Perth where traffic emissions are causing elevated annual average levels of nitrogen dioxide and fine particles.
The identification of additional areas of exceedence, by comparison with previous assessments, has vindicated the council’s decision to designate the whole of Perth as an AQMA.
