If you’ve been coughing and spluttering your way around Newton Abbot recently, could be because the town has a a new Air Quality Management Area – a modern way of saying it’s polluted. It’s not like you can escape to Kingsteignton either – there are two Air Quality Management Areas there.
Air Quality Management Areas, or AQMAs as they are quaintly known – as if they were a quiz show with Stephen Fry – have been found in three areas in Teignbridge: Wolborough Street, Newton Abbot; Newton Road, Kingsteignton; and Oakford Cross, Kingsteignton.
That means these areas had higher levels of nitrogen dioxide in the air when they were last tested.
“The good news for areas designated as AQMAs,” says the Teignbridge press release, “is that there will be steps taken to improve air quality as part of an Air Quality Action Plan (required by the Environment Act 1995).” Every cloud of pollutant has a silver lining, donchaknow.
“Teignbridge is currently preparing an Action Plan for all of its AQMAs, and will be consulting on the plan in coming months,” it continues.
“The draft Action Plan has already been approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and has been prepared alongside Devon County Council as the authority responsible for traffic and roads.”
Likely measures to help improve the air could include altering road junctions and looking at whether signal controlled junctions would improve traffic flow and reduce pollution.
The council could also call use planning agreements, known as Section 106 agreements, to secure money from developers for schemes that may have an impact on air quality. This money could then be used to fund measures to reduce pollution.
Cllr Gordon Hook, Teignbridge Executive Spokesperson for Environmental Services told the PRSD: “We do our utmost to provide a clean environment, and while traffic is a fact of life, we do have a duty to make sure that pollution from exhausts does not have negative effects on residential communities. By identifying AQMAs we can clearly see where air quality is an issue and prepare plans to help make it better.
“I am concerned that the air we breathe can cause people, the very young and the elderly in particular, to suffer ill health. We can all do little things to improve air quality – drive cars less, walk, cycle or use public transport more. The council is very keen to explore with local communities ways of improving the situation and a full consultation exercise will soon follow.
“We all need to work together to drive pollution down, and we’ll be doing our bit to help.”
Hmm, don’t think driving is the answer, Gordon.
• How’s your air quality? If you know, let us know. Comments below, please.
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