Ambitious targets for city Air Quality Action Plan

An action plan for improving air quality in Brighton & Hove is proposing ambitious new targets to support the health and wellbeing of people living, working and visiting the city.

Members of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee will be presented with a new Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) when they meet next week, Tuesday 15 November.

They’ll be asked to approve the plan which has been produced following a public consultation earlier this year which attracted almost 300 responses. 

Read the report and list of recommendations. 

What’s in the plan?

The measures set out in the AQAP target the main sources of emissions within Brighton & Hove, especially where they contribute to poor air quality in our six Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs).

In total, there are more than 60 proposed actions in the plan which fall under five priority headings:

1. Increase active travel, support mode shift including greater emphasis on public transport and reduce the need to travel.
2. Encourage and support uptake of ultra-low and zero exhaust vehicles
3. Improve monitoring and public awareness
4. Reduce emissions from buildings and new development
5. Partnership working

Included as part of the actions will be to consider a citywide smoke control area by 2023 with the aim of reducing the amount of smoke from chimneys. 

This would make it against the law for homeowners, tenants or occupiers to emit persistent, visible smoke from a building chimney. 

Read the proposed plan.

Ambitious but achievable targets

Our Air Quality Action Plan will look to go beyond current UK minimum legal requirements

For example, the proposed local Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) target for Brighton & Hove is 25% lower than it would be by adhering to the minimum UK legal requirement. In the longer term, it would be 75% lower.

Stronger targets have also been set out for reducing airborne particles in the air we all breathe.

As a result of feedback from the consultation, we have strengthened our commitment to making changes, included more detailed information about measures we can take, and committed to improve our communication with residents about changes we can all make to improve air quality.

There will also be a greater focus on monitoring and reporting on our progress, with interim targets also set out, in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) properties. 

Building on our work so far

The AQAP will look to build on the good work already being done to reduce emissions in the city. This includes:

• Working with bus companies to reduce emissions, including securing funding to upgrade the exhausts of dozens of city buses.
• Installing well over 250 electric vehicle charging points around the city to encourage greater EV use.
• Securing funding from the city’s Carbon Neutral Fund to install camera technology in AQMAs to collect vehicle data.

Councillor Amy Heley, Co-Chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee said: “I’m pleased we’ve been bold and ambitious in setting out our plans to improve air quality in Brighton & Hove.

“Air pollution is responsible for thousands of deaths in England every year and we need to do more to reduce harmful emissions which directly impact on the air we breathe.

“The quality and quantity of feedback provided into our consultation demonstrates the demands for higher standards for air quality in the city. Alongside improving our reporting and monitoring that is what we’ve done in this plan. 

“These measures, together with the work we’re already doing, means we can work towards cleaner air for a healthier Brighton & Hove.”

Background

Brighton & Hove's first Air Quality Action Plan was produced in 2006, with second and third editions in 2011 and 2015. 

This revised Air Quality Action Plan (2022-2027) has been produced as part of our statutory duties under the Environment Act 1995, as required by the Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) framework.

Where an area is identified as at risk of non-compliance with legal limits of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), an Air Quality Action Plan is needed.

This plan is required for the six Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) that were declared by the council in 2020, because monitoring and modelling showed a risk of non-compliance with toxic NO2 and therefore a danger to public health.

Progress on measures set out within this plan will be reported within the council’s annual status reports, and the AQAP is scheduled to be updated in 2027.