Air Quality Management Area

Further to the Environment Act 1995, Surrey Heath Borough Council as with all Local Authorities in the country, was required to formally review and assess air quality within its Borough. Our review process concluded that one of the UK Air Quality Objectives for Nitrogen Dioxide was likely to be exceeded along a stretch of the M3 motorway Northwards from J4.

The National Air Quality Objectives exist for the protection of human health and we are obliged to investigate in complying with the objective. Air Quality modelling, undertaken as part of the review process, identified those emissions from vehicles on the M3 as the prime source of the Nitrogen Oxide exceedence.

Subsequent to the identification of the extent of the likely breach along the M3, we declared an Air Quality Management Area in 2005 and formulated an Air Quality Action Plan to address the problem. The area concerned lies within a boundary formed by a line approximately 20-30 metres from each side of the M3 edge between J4 and finishing just north of the Ravenswood Roundabout. (See plan below).

Since we started continuous monitoring within this area it is becoming clear that we initially over estimated the levels and that there is currently no exceedence of the annual mean nitrogen dioxide levels at any buildings within the area. We will not know of course for sure until we have at least 36 months of data ending in 2012. If there has been no increase in levels at this time we will consider removing the management area. We do know that of our monitoring locations alongside the M3 within the AQMA, including the continuous monitor, there has been no exceedence of the averaged nitrogen dioxide levels to date at places where the public are likely to be exposed.

Latest results from our monitoring equipment located within the AQMA may be viewed on our air quality home page.

Our Action Plan

In Surrey Heath the primary option for remediation of the nitrogen dioxide problem is to reduce emissions from vehicles using the motorway. It was found that the emission exceedence was minimal, and affected the Western side (London bound) more than the Eastern. The reduction in levels can be achieved by a number of options concerning motorway management, none of which can be directly effected by us as the Borough Council.

Motorway management and strategy to reduce Nitrogen Oxide emissions along this stretch of the M3 represent significant financial input - borne by the Highways Agency/DEFRA. Since DEFRA predict further reductions in NO₂ emission levels due to tighter Euro standards on both vehicles and fuels, and that the exceedence is minimal, the work required is unlikely to be a high priority of either the Highways Agency or DEFRA.

Our Action Plan concluded that active support of national/south east projects such as multi-modal studies combined with J3 layout changes, and the erection of barriers in consultation with the Highways Agency, as the most cost effective options to improve air quality. The exceedence is not contributed to or attributable to local traffic and changes in local conditions will not affect the level of M3 traffic. The exceedence is a result of vehicles passing through on the M3.

Surrey Heath Borough Council has no statutory authority over the Highways Agency or DEFRA and hence is unable to enforce the measures identified. Our Action Plan does however identify over 50 actions that may help to alleviate congestion in and around the AQMA and hence reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions. Most of those identified have now been completed.

Both the Air Quality Management Area Action Plan and a number of progress reports produced since its publication in 2005 may be viewed on the reports page.

Images of the AQMA

The images below illustrate the AQMA and show it's location and provide context for the information on this page. Click on one of the smaller images below to have a larger version open in a new window.