Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport.

The Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport introduced the North Staffordshire Local Air Quality plan – outline business case. His report set out work undertaken to develop the NSLAQP which would deliver the primary aim of achieving compliance with the standard for safe NO2 concentrations limit of 40ug/m3 (annual average) in the shortest time possible. 

A presentation from the Project Manager explained how the outline business plan supported the preferred option which would, subject to Cabinet approval, be submitted to Government to fund a package of interventions on the highway designed to address illegal exceedances of Nitrogen Dioxide by 2023.

Of the three exceedance locations identified in north Staffordshire, only one was along the A53 in Newcastle for which the County Council was the responsible Highways Authority.  The preferred option was selected as it would deliver compliance most effectively and quickly and involved the introduction of a bus gate at peak periods on the Etruria Road (A53). Due to the pandemic, Government had allowed an additional year to achieve compliance.

The preferred option and analysis would be presented to the three Cabinets before the full business case would be submitted to Government. Implementation would take place 2021/22.

The local member was pleased that the preferred option would avoid the fall back solution which would have been the introduction of a chargeable clean air zone and damaging to the local economy.

A Member asked about the implications for the A53 further into Werrington and whether there would be any changes to bus routes as a consequence. The Project Manager said that there should be no major traffic management impact, any changes would be minor and there would be liaison with any affected neighbouring districts.

A Member asked about other parts of the county where there may be exceedance to safe air quality limits. The Connectivity Strategy Manager said that in other parts of the county where Air Quality Management Areas were declared based on a similar standard, they were being addressed through interventions included within the relevant District Integrated Transport Strategy.

RESOLVED That the Select Committee was satisfied that the business case had been properly prepared and due process had taken place.