Air quality improves at pollution hotspots on Ripon and Knaresborough roads to meet national limits

It means air quality management areas, also called AQMAs, that were set up for York Place in Knaresborough and Low/High Skellgate in Ripon have been revoked.

Councils assign AQMAs to places where air pollution is particularly bad.

They then set out an action plan to bring levels below the national limit for nitrogen dioxide, an air pollutant associated with transport.

Scientists have linked exposure to air pollution to a host of health impacts including asthma, heart disease and cancer.

The council monitors air pollution using the measurement µg/m3, which is the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in micrograms per cubic meter of air.

The government asks that pollution levels fall below an annual mean objective of 40µg/m3.

A report that discusses the council’s work to improve air quality will be discussed by councillors on the Selby and Ainsty area constituency committee on Friday.

A council spokesperson gave several reasons for the improving air quality.

These include an increase in the use of electric vehicles, educational programmes in schools, retrofitting of local buses with cleaner technology and general improvements in vehicle emissions.

According to council monitoring, air quality has improved across the Harrogate area since the Covid-19 pandemic.

North Yorkshire Council’s Assistant Director for Regulatory Services, Callum McKeon, said: “It is mandatory to declare AQMAs if pollutant levels exceed objective concentrations dictated by the Government’s UK Air Quality Strategy and implemented by the Air Quality (England) Regulations 2000 (2002 as amended).

“The AQMAs at York Place, Knaresborough and Low/High Skellgate, Ripon were created due to the nitrogen dioxide annual mean objective of 40µg/m3 associated with traffic pollution being exceeded.

“Monitoring undertaken by the council has shown that the air quality objectives at the above locations have not been exceeded and as it is a requirement to revoke an AQMA if pollutant levels fall below the objective level for five consecutive years, we must revoke these two AQMAs.

“This does not mean that these areas will be ignored – monitoring will continue to ensure that the measures taken continue to be effective and that air quality standards continue to be achieved.”