Air Quality – District Council launches new public consultation
Residents encouraged to have their say on air quality action plan for the Chichester District
Chichester District Council is updating its revised Air Quality Action Plan and is asking for people to share their views in a new public consultation running from Monday 17 May until 28 June 2021.
The draft plan sets out a range of proposed actions to continue improving air quality in the district, and at a meeting this month, the council’s Cabinet approved the plan to go out to public consultation.
Councillor Penny Plant, Cabinet Member for Environment and Chichester Contract Services at Chichester District Council, says: “There are many factors that contribute to the quality of the air we breathe, but as a council we are committed to doing all that we reasonably can to make our area a cleaner, safer and healthier place.”
“The Chichester District is a beautiful place to live, work and visit and we are fortunate that our air quality is generally very good. However, there are a small number of places that are adversely affected by air pollution and we are working to help tackle this issue through a number of schemes and projects associated with our Air Quality Action Plan.
“When an area is identified as having poor air quality (i.e. it doesn’t meet the National Air Quality Standards), it is declared as an ‘Air Quality Management Area’. For each of these areas, a plan must be put in place setting out a number of different actions that can be taken to improve air quality in this area — this is called an Air Quality Action Plan. Since the introduction of our first plan in 2008, each of our five-years plans has been successful in introducing schemes that have had a positive impact on air quality in the district.
“It’s now time for the plan to be reviewed and updated. The proposal includes recommendations to continue some of the successful projects from the previous plan, and also identifies new actions that could be taken if additional funding can be secured.
“Because air quality has been steadily improving, it also means that we’re in the fortunate position of being able to recommend that Chichester’s Orchard Street and Stockbridge A27 roundabout no longer need to be considered Air Quality Management Areas. This is also set out in the proposed draft plan.
“We’re really keen to hear people’s views on our suggestions and this consultation is a chance for residents, business owners, organisations and visitors to share their thoughts. I would urge everyone to take part in the survey, which only takes between 5 and 10 minutes. Your voice matters and the feedback you give us will help us to shape our final plan.”
The consultation will go live on Monday 17 May and people can get involved and have their say on the plan and its proposals by visiting: www.chichester.gov.uk/letstalkairquality. The deadline for responding is midnight on 28 June.
On the consultation webpage, people can: view the council’s draft Revised Air Quality Action Plan and all of the information and data that has informed the proposals; have their say via an easy-to-complete survey; and read a range of frequently asked questions to help put the survey into context and explain some of the terms used. People can request a paper copy of the questionnaire by emailing letstalk@chichester.gov.uk
Once all the results have been analysed, the information will be used to inform the final revised Air Quality Action Plan, which will then be considered by the council’s Environment Panel in September 2021 and by Cabinet in November 2021.
People who would like to get involved with more consultations and surveys in the future can also join Chichester District Council’s Let’s Talk Panel. By signing up, they will be automatically notified of any consultations by email, and can decide whether or not they want to take part. People can join by visiting www.chichester.gov.uk/letstalkpanel