Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The Committee will be aware that at its previous remote meeting of 12th January 2021, the Director of City Services provided an update paper to the Committee concerning progress with a range of ambient air quality projects that City and Neighbourhood Services Department staff are progressing. Amongst those projects is the development of new Air Quality Action Plan for the city covering the period 2021-2026. The Committee is advised that Council’s current Air Quality Action Plan concluded at the end of 2020.  

1.2       During the meeting of 12th January 2021, the Director of City Services advised the Committee that a subsequent paper would be brought forward at the next meeting of the Committee, further outlining the development process for the new Action Plan and providing to Members an overview of the various outline actions that have been proposed by the Council’s competent or relevant authority partners and other organisations represented on the Air Quality Action Plan Steering Group.

1.3       This paper serves therefore to present this information to the Committee, by way of a further update, to enable Members to consider how the Plan will be developed and the various outline actions that have been proposed to comprise the new Air Quality Action Plan.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is requested to

·        Consider the proposed outline actions for inclusion within the new Air Quality Action Plan 2021-2026 for the city, provided in an Appendix available via mod.gov.

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

3.1       The Committee will be aware that as a consequence of the various ambient air quality review and assessments, updating and screening assessments and progress report that have been completed for the Belfast City Council area, the Council has, to date, declared four Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) across the city for exceedances of the air quality objectives for nitrogen dioxide, with a principal current focus on achieving and maintaining the annual mean objective for nitrogen dioxide of 40gm^-3. Source apportionment studies conducted for the city in general and specifically for the AQMAs have revealed that the exceedances of the nitrogen dioxide objectives are principally as a consequence of road transport emissions. 

3.2       The ‘ribbon’ style AQMAs encompass arterial road transport routes into, and out of the city, and therefore include the M1 Motorway / A12 Westlink corridor, the Ormeau Road, the Upper Newtownards Road and the area from Cromac Street to the junction with East Bridge Street and from East Bridge Street to the junction with the Ravenhill and Albertbridge Roads and Short Strand.

3.3       In accordance with the provisions of Part III of the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002, once an AQMA has been declared, a council is required to develop an Air Quality Action Plan in pursuit of the relevant air quality objectives. The Action Plan is required to draw upon those actions that the council itself can take, as well as those from Competent Authority partners. Competent or Relevant Authorities are those defined in the Air Quality Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and broadly include Northern Ireland Departments, the Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

3.4       Accordingly, in seeking to develop a new 5-year Air Quality Action Plan for the city to address road transport emissions, the remaining nitrogen dioxide ‘hot spots’ within the AQMAs, and nitrogen dioxide air pollution generally across the city, the Council has sought to engage with the Department for Infrastructure Roads, Translink, Northern Ireland Railways, Sustrans, Belfast Harbour, the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and the Public Health Agency via the formation of an Air Quality Action Plan Steering Group. Steering Group Members have now provided a series of outline transport related actions that they are proposing to deliver over the anticipated 5-year lifespan of the new Action Plan.

3.5       The Committee is advised that the new Air Quality Action Plan will be developed by the Council’s air quality staff in conjunction with our Steering Group partners. To that end, the Action Plan will be developed with regard to the requirements of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Local Air Quality Action Plan 2020 template. This template requires that an Action Plan should include a summary of ambient air quality within the local authority AQMA(s), along with an explanation of the public health and planning policy contexts, source apportionment studies for the AQMAs, an assessment of the required reductions and key priorities for the Action Plan. The Action Plan must also include an overview of the consultation and stakeholder engagement processes, together with details of the Air Quality Action Plan Steering Group.

3.6       With regard to the measures to be included within the new action plan, the plan must include a list of the actions that comprise the plan, the responsible individual and departments or organisations that will deliver each action, the estimated cost of implementing each action (overall cost and cost to the local authority), the expected benefit of each action in terms of pollutant emission and / or concentration reductions, the timescale for implementation and how progress will be monitored.

3.7       Finally, the plan must also include details of any formal consultation processes that have been undertaken, together with a summary of responses to consultation and stakeholder engagement and an explanation of the reasons for not pursuing Action Plan measures. It is noted that at the meeting of 7th September 2020, the Committee agreed that consultation on the new action plan should include engagement with communities and the West Belfast Taxi Consortium.

3.8       Having received various outline action planning measures from our Competent Authority partners and other Steering Group members, the Committee is advised that the Council’s air quality staff will now continue to work with these organisations and bodies to formalise the actions and to develop the new Action Plan in accordance with the requirements of the Defra Local Air Quality Action Plan 2020 template, to a point where the Action Plan can be consulted upon. It is proposed that in view of the continuing constraints imposed by the Covid 19 pandemic, community engagement around the new Action Plan might be delivered via the Council’s Consultation Hub. This approach will however, be further explored with the Steering Group members so as to align to any public consultation exercises that individual organisations might wish to undertake on their actions. In addition, we have sought guidance from DAERA concerning any specific action plan consultation requirements.   

3.9       The Committee is advised that a full list of outline actions has been provided at Appendix 1 available on modern.gov. By way of examples, however;  

3.10      Translink have proposed introducing zero emission vehicles within Belfast, improving their bus fleet, decarbonising their rail network and vehicle fleet, promoting public transport, providing a Future Ticketing System and delivering the new Belfast Transport Hub.

3.11      Translink and the Department for Infrastructure have jointly proposed the second phase of the Belfast Rapid Transit system, bus and rail based park and ride interchanges, bus route improvements, further expansion of Park and Ride facilities and improved walking and cycling connectivity to public transport interchanges.       

3.12      Sustrans and the Department for Infrastructure have jointly proposed a bicycle Strategy for Northern Ireland followed by a Bicycle Network Plan for Belfast, the construction of safe and protected cycling infrastructure and traffic management initiatives such as the introduction of 20mph speed limits, School Streets and low traffic neighbourhoods.

3.13      Sustrans, working with a range of partner organisations including the Public Health Agency, DfI, DAERA, Belfast City Council and Interreg, is proposing the delivery of a range of behavioural change and promoting travel alternatives programmes with schools, workplaces and communities.        

3.14      The Department for Infrastructure have proposed blue and green infrastructure funding, measures to support a green recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic, development of a Multi-modal transport model, construction of a Lagan pedestrian and cycle bridge and further development of the ecarNI electric vehicle charging infrastructure.   

3.15      Belfast Harbour have proposed ambient air quality monitoring and modelling initiatives within the Belfast Harbour area, publishing a Harbour Air Quality Strategy, introducing low or zero carbon fuels, electric vehicle changing infrastructure, a car sharing scheme, clean vehicle incentives, smart traffic control, integrated commuter plans, cycle lanes, green corridors  decarbonising port infrastructure, providing shore side power, decarbonising work and pilot boats and space heating, introducing zero carbon vessels and ship planning.

3.16      Belfast City Council has proposed a range of initiatives to reduce the air quality impacts of its fleet operations, including vehicle emissions testing, driver eco training and promoting the uptake of cleaner vehicle technologies and introducing electric vehicles and electric adaptations for refuse collection vehicles. In addition, our Planners have confirmed that the Council’s Local Development Plan, Draft Plan Strategy 2035 contains a range of policy interventions to improve ambient air quality. Similarly, the Belfast Open Spaces Strategy and associated Green and Blue Infrastructure Plan also contain policies and actions for improving ambient air quality for the city. The Council has also highlighted its ‘Just Eat’ Belfast Bikes public bike hire scheme.

            Financial and Resource Implications.

3.17      None

            Equality or Good Relations Implications /

            Rural Needs Assessments.

3.18      None.”

            The Committee agreed the proposed actions for inclusion within the new Air Quality Action Plan 2021-2026 for the City available here and noted that the Members would be keen to see the following issues also considered within the Plan:

·        more targeted consultation engagement with the communities living within the Air Quality Management Areas; and

·        the Council focusing on the enforcement of smoke control zones and raising awareness of the impact of burning household fuels on indoor and outdoor air quality.

            The Director of City Services also undertook to write to the Department for Infrastructure to highlight the following:

·        keen to see it place a greater emphasis on the required infrastructure for cycle lanes;

·        request that it give further consideration to the importance of safe areas around schools (air pollution exclusion zones).

·        request that it give consideration to the creation of active travel hubs;

·        give further exploration to Green Screening; and 

·        further consideration of the pedestrianisation agenda and the reallocation of road space.