Have your say on a new Air Quality Action Plan for Bath

A plan which sets out how air quality will be improved in the city of Bath is being consulted on by Bath & North East Somerset Council.

Residents, visitors and businesses are invited to give their feedback on the Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) for Bath which is designed to reduce nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) in the city between 2024 and 2029.

Air pollution negatively affects people’s health and can contribute to developing heart disease and cancer.

It also affects the most vulnerable people in communities including children, older people and those with heart and lung conditions.

The annual health cost to society of the impacts of particulate matter alone in the UK is estimated to be around £16 billion.

The council has a legal duty to produce an AQAP for Bath. It supplements the Clean Air Zone, which has successfully passed a State 3 assessment, which means NO₂ concentrations across Bath have been maintained below 40 µg/m³ for two years.

Government regulations state that annual NO₂ concentrations should not exceed 40 µg/m³ in order to protect people’s health.

The AQAP replaces the previous action plan which ran from 2011-2024 and covers the Bath Air Quality Management Area. The key measures in the AQAP include continuing the charging Clean Air Zone, introducing Liveable Neighbourhoods to prioritise road space away from cars and increasing the number of electric vehicle charging points.

The AQAP has been approved by the council’s Director of Public Health & Prevention, Becky Reynolds. The plan will be subject to an annual review.

The AQAP consultation runs until 10 January 2025. 

Becky Reynolds said: “It’s estimated that in the UK, the reduction in healthy life expectancy caused by air pollution is equivalent to 29,000 to 43,000 deaths a year. In this Air Quality Action Plan we outline how we plan to effectively tackle air quality issues within our control, whilst recognising that there are a large number of air quality policy areas that are outside of our influence such as vehicle emissions standards agreed in Europe.

“The council has successfully complied with the Government’s Joint Air Quality Unit road map in terms of nitrogen dioxide limits with the Clean Air Zone, but we need to continue to keep emission levels down and promoting low emission transport alternatives. We want to ensure our residents can live healthy lives, and with the help of this plan, we can tackle the air quality issues we face.”

Anyone needing support to reply to the online consultation form or who requires another format can call +44 (0)1225 39 40 41.

A separate AQAP covers the Temple Cloud and Farrington Gurney Air Quality Management Area.