WILTSHIRE Council has responded to criticism from Westbury’s mayor regarding air quality in the town.
Mayor of Westbury, cllr Mike Sutton had criticised Wiltshire Council, saying it has neglected to improve air quality in Westbury in over 20 years. In a story in White Horse News, he said Wiltshire Council was, “a council that in 2001 declared Westbury an air quality action zone and since then, has not even managed a single action, to the detriment of local residents who have to suffer pollution.”
Wiltshire Council has responded by defending its record on fighting air pollution saying that, “Air quality in Wiltshire is very good” and that if current trends continue, “the council will be able to consider revoking some of the eight Air Quality Management Area orders, including Westbury, in the next few years.”
Cllr Nick Holder, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for public protection said, “UK air quality regulations require local councils to monitor seven pollutants: nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene, 1,3 butadiene, lead, and fine particulate matter (PM10), and take action where exceedances are likely. Air quality in Wiltshire is very good, meeting requirements for six of these pollutants.
“There are eight areas where the annual mean objective for nitrogen dioxide has not been met and of the approximately 70 locations in Wiltshire the council is monitoring (we select worst case locations mainly, and a few background locations) only two exceeded this objective in 2022.
“This reflects a trend toward improving ambient air quality in Wiltshire, and if the current trend continues, the council will be able to consider revoking some of the eight Air Quality Management Area orders, including Westbury in the next few years.
“The exceedance of nitrogen dioxide in Westbury is caused by traffic emissions, so we all have a vital role to play in resolving this issue – it is not one the council can resolve alone. Our web pages provide tips and links on how everyone can contribute to defeating poor air quality, the Energy Savings Trust website gives advice on saving money and reducing emissions.
“In Westbury we have secured 106 funding for cycling/walking infra-structure and recently secured substantial funding which will contribute to costs for a Junction Optimisation Study on the A350, which is one of the actions in the new action plan.
“We are about to consult on a revised Air Quality Action plan for Wiltshire, which includes the AQMA in Westbury. We will also be consulting on a supplementary planning document on air quality in due course, that we have produced for developers.”
