The Environment Act 1995 places a duty on local authorities to assess air pollution and compare the results with a list of pollutants and associated maximum acceptable levels.

If these maximum levels are exceeded there is a duty to declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA). You can find out more information on the DEFRA website.

Our work

The Environmental Protection Team routinely monitors air quality across the whole of the borough. The monitoring has been concentrated on the main roads across the borough, as traffic is the cause of almost all of the air pollution.

Most of the roads do not cause a problem, as they are generally free-flowing, and the nearby housing is set far enough back from the road edge for the traffic fumes to disperse. However, there are a few locations that are possible hot-spots and we have carried out more targeted intensive monitoring in those areas.

The monitoring has confirmed that the pollution from passing traffic has exceeded the maximum level on part of Church Street Brimington and we have formally declared an AQMA. The first step of this was the issue of an Air Quality Management Order on 14th August 2015. This came into force on 1st September 2015 (see below).

Find out more information about the work that has been carried out to monitor and assess air quality.

Following on from the declaration of an AQMA we have to produce an Air Quality Action Plan, and this is currently being drafted.

The draft action plan has the following sections:

1) Education and campaigns
2) Information and signage
3) Sustainable travel
4) Fleet management
5) Planning schemes
6) Guidance documents
7) Traffic management
8) Engineering solutions
9) Relocate traffic
10) Low emission vehicles

Some of these areas can be delivered by Chesterfield Borough Council (Education and campaigns, Planning schemes), others are more reliant on other external bodies (such as Traffic management, which is Derbyshire County Council’s responsibility).

Air Quality Management Area Order No1

(PDF 786 KB)