Supporting local authorities to assess and review air pollution within their jurisdictions

Elmbridge Local Air Quality Management

The UK’s Local Air Quality Management system protects human health by ensuring that local authorities assess and review air pollution within their jurisdictions. When Elmbridge Borough Council needed to check the effectiveness of their system, our Air Quality team set out to review the Elmbridge air quality monitoring sites, including deploying additional monitors in localised hotspots.

We produced air quality annual status reports which Elmbridge used to communicate with the public and to identify trends in air pollution levels, including problem areas. After that, we prepared a body of evidence to support the revocation of an air quality management area (AQMA) in Elmbridge—because air quality improvements meant the AQMA was no longer required. This revocation has been approved by the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs and will streamline the planning process in the area, supporting the Council in its development aspirations.

Finally, in 2021 we helped Elmbridge Borough Council develop an air quality action plan. The goal? Establishing measures that would improve local air quality. Measures in the plan include embedding air quality in the local plan and transport strategies, raising public awareness of air quality issues to promote behaviour change, and increasing electric vehicle charging infrastructure.