Author(s)

S. M. Hassan, K. A. Ling & J. W. S. Longhurst

Abstract

Local authorities across Great Britain are required under the Environment Act 1995 to review and assess air quality in their areas. Accordingly, local authorities have undertaken two rounds of review and assessment since 1997. In 2003, the Government and the Devolved Administrations introduced a new prescriptive approach to Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) in which they direct local authorities to consider specific air pollution sources and issues in a more standardised manner. This paper presents results from a project which evaluated the second round of LAQM in the context of increased prescription and explores the capabilities of local authorities to deliver better air quality. Results indicate that local authorities identified a number of new air pollution hotspots during the second round of LAQM. These areas were not identified in the first round of LAQM, which suggests that the enhanced prescription of guidance has led to their identification. Also, it was evident that increased technical and managerial capabilities of local authorities and the experience gained from conducting the first round of LAQM have contributed to the identification of new pollution hotspots. These results indicate that the LAQM in Great Britain is identifying pollution problems efficiently. However, there are uncertainties regarding its effectiveness in terms of delivering better air quality. Keywords: Local Air Quality Management (LAQM), Air Quality Review and Assessment, Detailed Assessment (DA), Updating and Screening Assessment (USA), Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs), Air Quality Action Planning (AQAP), Air Quality Objective (AQO).

Keywords

Local Air Quality Management (LAQM), Air Quality Review and Assessment, Detailed Assessment (DA), Updating and Screening Assessment (USA), Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs), Air Quality Action Planning (AQAP), Air Quality Objective (AQO).