Mayor welcomes air quality ‘improvements’, but questions Wiltshire Council role

WESTBURY Mayor, cllr Mike Sutton, has welcomed news from Wiltshire Council that states that air quality has improved in Westbury, but he has suggested that any improvements to air quality locally are not a result of any direct action by Wiltshire Council.  

Wiltshire Council recently adopted its air quality management plan (AQMA) for the county, which fulfils the council’s statutory duties as set out by the Local Air Quality Management Framework. It outlines the action the council will take to improve air quality in Wiltshire up to 2029.

Westbury is one of six areas in Wiltshire that are designated air quality management areas, which are locations where the local air quality is unlikely to meet the government’s national air quality objectives, so the council applies special measures to make improvements.

Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for environment, Dominic Muns, recently said that air quality has improved in Westbury, but Westbury’s mayor cllr Sutton says this is “hardly a cause for celebration”. 

Cllr Sutton said, “Any reduction in air pollution has to be welcomed, although coming from terrible quality to a ‘not quite so terrible reading’ is hardly cause for celebration. 

“Wiltshire Council does not say what has caused this reduction, and certainly it does not seem to be a result of any actions they have taken, which have been none to date. 

“Of course, air pollution is not the only danger. The high density of traffic and the shedding of rubber particles are another hazard that arises from the constant passing of heavy traffic, of which Wiltshire seem to have no ideas other than holding out the prospect of a mythical bypass sometime never.”  

When questioned about what action was specifically taken by Wiltshire Council to improve air quality in the town, cllr Muns said, “Excessive levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) were the reason that an AQMA was declared in Westbury, with the main source of NO2 being emissions from private diesel cars.  

“There have been considerable improvements nationally in NO2 as car technology has improved and older cars have been removed from the national fleet. Recent data shows that air quality has improved in Westbury, with levels of NO2 within the Westbury AQMA are now below the annual mean objective for nitrogen dioxide. 

“We recognise the unique challenges within Westbury and in our latest action plan we have put forward some measures which are within the council’s scope, but we are always interested to hear others’ suggestions and we would welcome any opportunity to have a direct conversation with the town council about their ideas.

“The implementation of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ), combined with the closure and subsequent weight restriction on Cleveland Bridge in Bath, has meant additional HGVs have been using roads in Wiltshire, particularly the A350.  We have been monitoring traffic flows of long vehicles in Western Wiltshire on the A350 Westbury to Warminster. 

“On the A350 between Westbury and Warminster, and at Semington, the data shows an increase of around 200 vehicles per day. We continue to push Bath and North East Somerset Council for prompt resolution of this matter, and are also discussing directly with the Department for Transport and central government.”

The local MP Andrew Murrison has long campaigned for a Westbury bypass to help alleviate the air quality concerns in the town and he has said that the long-awaited M4 to Dorset Coast Strategic Study would have implications for a Westbury bypass. 

National Highways has been carrying out the study, which looks to increase connectivity from the M4 to the south coast, since early 2022. The study is considering ten possible corridors – one of which is the A350 which runs through the heart of Westbury. 

The MP has been calling for the A350 to be the chosen route for traffic between the M4 and the south coast, due to its implications for a Westbury bypass.

The study was expected to be completed in the spring of last year, followed by a report and recommendations. However, a report is yet to be published.