Minutes:
(Mr. Alastair. Curran and Ms. Eliza. Barszczewska-Lyner attended in connection with this item.)
The Committee was reminded that at its previous meeting it had agreed to receive an update presentation in regard to Air Quality Assessment. The Committee noted that Mr. M. Nancarrow from Aecom was also in attendance.
Mr. A Curran commenced by providing a comprehensive overview of the recent Air Quality Detailed Assessment work, detailing how the Council had arrived at the appointment of AECOM consultants in early 2020, this included information in respect of:
· Notice of Motion having been raised at the People and Communities Committee meeting in October 2019, regarding the delivery of a detailed air quality review and assessment for the city, for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) ambient air pollutants;
· A Competitive European tender exercise having been undertaken by the Council in September 2020 in order to appoint an appropriately experienced environmental consultancy to deliver the detailed assessment project; and
· The Department of Agriculture Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DAERA) having agreed to provide 50% match funding up to a maximum of £125,000 during the 2020-2021 local air quality management grant year to support delivery of the detailed assessment project
The assessment project was a two-year contract, with the final project report scheduled to be presented to the People and Communities Committee in December 2022. The Members noted that it would comprise of the following 4 principal components:
1) Additional ambient monitoring for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter (PM10) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5);
2) Development of an emissions inventory for the Belfast City Council area;
3) Detailed atmospheric dispersion modelling to map concentrations of NO2 and PM2.5 spatially and temporally for the Belfast City Council area; and
4) Analysis and reporting of the dispersion modelling data for the city to identify geographic areas of exceedance of national or European health-based air quality standards and of WHO guideline values.
The Committee noted that the Emissions Inventory would incorporate activity data in respect of local roads, rail networks, shipping, air traffic, industrial sources, and household emissions. Detailed atmospheric modelling would be used which would involve Cambridge Environment Research Consultants and atmospheric dispersion modelling software. The software would enable the data gathered to be overlain on maps or aerial images of the city to aid interpretation of the findings.
The Aecom representative then provided the Members with details in respect of proposed locations for the six additional sensors that were to be installed, along with the rational for the proposed locations which were still to be confirmed. He advised that these would be Zephyr ‘real time’ small sensor air quality monitors that would measure PM10, PM2.5 and NO2, they would be solar powered and mounted on lampposts or street furniture. The monitoring locations would be operated by Aecom throughout 2021 and would then revert to the Council.
Following a number of queries in relation to the foul smell/gases in the Colin area and whether this technology would be useful, the officer advised that this particular technology was specifically designed to deal with ambient air quality and would not therefore pick up on methane/carbon dioxide gases etc. that are a result of landfill and therefore a monitor at this location would not be appropriate. The Director of City Services advised that there might be alternative technology available and she undertook to liaise with the two Members directly to discuss.
Following several specific queries in regard to the proposed locations of the detailed assessment monitors the officer explained the rationale behind the proposals, he advised that these were a starting point and ultimately this process would be built upon going forward to try and obtain as much information as possible citywide.
The Members welcomed the project and the work undertaken to date.
The Chairperson thanked the officers and AECOM representative for their attendance at the meeting, following which they left the proceedings.