During our last update from BANES Officers back in October 2018 we were informed that the BANES Council Environmental Monitoring Team were working hard to secure funding for a ‘Options and Feasibility study’ to explore and assess measures designed and intended to result in the required air quality improvement within the Temple Cloud Air Quality Management Area (AQMA).
Conscious that we are now only 5 months away from it being a year since the AQMA was officially declared, the Parish Council wrote to BANES Officers to ask what progress had been made.
BANES Council have now confirmed that funding through Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) has been approved for the technical assessment. The study will assess possible options against: feasibility, deliverability, predicted air quality benefit, and cost.
The measures that are deemed deliverable and effective in achieving the necessary reduction in nitrogen dioxide levels will form part of the Temple Cloud Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) alongside other, less complicated measures that haven’t required the same technical assessment.
The Options and Assessment stage will begin in tandem with Farrington Gurney (who are also subject to a AQMA on the A37) and this should commence shortly – in April 2019 and will include a two week Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) study.
Once the study has taken place and the draft AQAP has been prepared, there will be a further phase of public consultation.
The issue of Air Quality in Temple Cloud remains a key priority for the Parish Council – the Parish Council are pleased that funding to undertake the technical assessment work has been secured and will continue to work closely with the Environmental Monitoring Team at BANES Council to ensure that residents are kept fully updated and the impact of air quality is addressed.
You can see the headlines from BANES Council Officers below:
Temple Cloud AQMA Plan- Posted: 19th March 2019