Agenda item

[Report of the Director for Environment and Neighbourhoods. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Environment.]

The Air Quality Action Plan is required as part of Council's duty to manage local air quality.  The plan sets out the commitment and actions Haringey will take to improve air quality between 2018 and 2022.  It replaces the previous action plan of 2010 - 2018.

The Cabinet Member for Environment introduced the report which sought Cabinet to agree to consult on the draft Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) 2019-24 in Appendix A in accordance with the consultation plan in Appendix B.

The Cabinet Member noted that Full Council had declared a climate emergency and outlined the adverse effects of climate change on the community and environment. Air quality drastically impacted on the health of elderly and vulnerable people and the Cabinet Member was committed to cleaning up the quality of the air in Haringey. The consultation would be looking to discuss how issues could be tackled together to improve air quality. Promoting more walking and cycling were some of the options that would be encouraged.

In response to questions from Cllr Palmer, the following information was noted:

• Regarding the LAEI model, Officers noted that it was prepared in 2013 but that the data was collected every year. The data collected from 2018 was due to go on Haringey’s website imminently. Officers accepted the measurements were collected across the whole of London and therefore they could only work with those measurements.
• Officers informed that a number of bids had been made to the GLA for projects which totalled £750k. A response to those bids was expected in April 2019 and the Council would be required to match fund that figure.

Cllr Palmer sought a response as to whether the Cabinet Member would reconsider the Liberal Democrat amendments to the Climate Emergency motion that was rejected at Full Council on the 18^th of March which would have ensured all energy supplied to Council buildings was sourced through a district energy network or 100% renewable energy. The Cabinet Member confirmed a written response would be provided to this question.

RESOLVED

3 

3.2 

To agree to consult on the draft AQAP 2019-24 in Appendix A in accordance with the consultation plan in Appendix B.

Reasons for Decision

1. 

Similar to other London Boroughs, Haringey was declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in 2001, due to air quality levels for two key pollutants - Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂) and fine particulates (PM’s) exceeding statutory limits.

Under Part 4 of the Environment Act 1995 Haringey is required to provide an AQAP to address the areas of poor air quality identified within the AQMA.

NO₂ is created when fuel is burnt and the main sources have been combustion engines, heating plant and construction plant/vehicles. 

PM10 is made up from a variety of substances i.e. soot, dust and secondary particles formed by the reaction of other pollutants in the air. The main sources of particulate matter are combustion engines, biomass heating plant (wood fuelled), brake and tyre wear, construction activity/plant and HGV’s.  

There is strong evidence that NO₂ and PM’s are harmful to health in a following way:

• Short term exposure: - is associated with worsening symptoms of pre-existing lung disease and asthma, as well as increased risk of cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarctions and stroke;
• Long term exposure: - is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and cancer, reduced lung function for both children and adults and low birth weights (higher risk of complications);
• Vulnerable Groups – age, the very young and old are high risk groups as well as those with pre-existing conditions i.e. diabetes, respiratory disease and obesity.  Poor diet, deprivation and proximity to pollution sources also have an impact on health inequalities.

The draft Haringey AQAP 2019-24 will replace the previous plan which ran from 2011-18.When preparing the AQAP, the Council has a statutory duty to consult with a range of bodies, including the Mayor of London.

Alternative options considered

The development of an AQAP is a statutory requirement and therefore there are no alternative options.  Consultation is also a statutory requirement, however there is no specified period for consultation in the statute. 8 weeks has been selected as a reasonable time to carry out detailed consultation.