Agenda item

            The Director of City Services reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 10th September, it had noted the contents of the Council’s 2024 Updating and Screening Assessment (USA) and had agreed that it be submitted to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) for independent consideration and appraisal. However, at that meeting, the Committee had agreed, in principle, not to move to revoke the Ormeau Road and Upper Newtownards Road Air Quality Management Areas – which had been recommended by DEARA – but to await DEARA’s independent assessment of the Council’s 2024 report.

            Accordingly, the Committee considered a report, the portion of which in respect of the above matter is set out hereunder:

“1.3      The council has now received a Bureau Veritas technical assessors’ report from DAERA concerning the appraisal of its 2024 USA, which, in addition to accepting the report and publishing it on the DAERA NI Air website recommends that the council should now progress revocation of AQMA No. 3 - Upper Newtownards Road and AQMA No. 4 – Ormeau Road.

1.4       Bureau Veritas have also suggested that the council should liaise with DAERA to consider additionally revoking the Cormac Street and Albertbridge Road AQMA and revoking the M1 Motorway / A12 Westlink corridor AQMA for exceedances of the 1-hour mean objective for nitrogen dioxide. 

1.5       DAERA have asked that Belfast City Council reverts to the Air and Environmental Quality Unit with a timescale for revocation of the AQMAs and any associated planned public communications so that the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affair’s Minister may be briefed accordingly.

1.6       The formal process for revoking an AQMA is detailed from section ‘3.53 Amendment and Revocation of AQMAs’ of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Local Air Quality Management Technical Guidance LAQM.TG(22) and within Article 12 Designation of air quality management areas of The Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002.

1.7       DAERA and Bureau Veritas have commented that the council’s 2024 USA report has been completed to a high standard, with additional appropriate appendices to show the further work that the Council is undertaking to improve air quality within its area of jurisdiction.”

            A Member outlined his opposition to the recommendation by DEARA that the Council should move to revoke the current Air Quality Management Areas at the Upper Newtownards Road and the Ormeau Road. He pointed out that air quality standards had improved significantly in those two areas and had been sustained over several years. He added that DEARA’s recommendations to revoke the monitors had been based on the fact that both areas now met the UK’s air quality standards. However, he suggested that the Council should continue to monitor the two areas in an attempt to meet the standards for air quality management as recommended by the World Health Organisation, which, it was suggested, was the benchmark which the Council should be working towards.  

            The Committee noted the contents of the report and the independent assessment of the Council’s 2024 Update and Screening Assessment. However, the Committee agreed not to revoke the two Air Quality Management Areas, that being at the Upper Newtownards Road and the Ormeau Road for the reasons outlined previously.