A Somerset Council and Government initiative has helped significantly reduce pollution at 3 county hotspots with poor air quality ratings.
East Reach, Henlade and Yeovil town centre had their status as Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) removed today following a report to the Council’s Executive Committee.
Under the Environment Act 1995 and in partnership with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Council had designated the areas as AQMA and had been monitoring air quality at the sites for the last 20 years, submitting regular reports to DEFRA.
As part of its commitment to improving air quality the Council was required to produce an Air Quality Action Plan, setting out measures to reduce polluting emissions such as nitrous oxide within these areas as well as across the wider county.
The success of the Council plan combined with national initiatives to remove older polluting vehicles has seen a significant drop in pollution levels with the result that all 3 areas have had their AQMA status removed, following approval by the Council’s Executive.
Councillor Graham Oakes, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Public Health, Climate Change and Environment said:
This is great news for residents in these areas, and for people across the wider county.
Research shows that nitrous oxide levels from vehicle emissions can have significant impacts on health, particular on the more vulnerable. It’s vital we reduce that risk, and that is what we’ve achieved here.
Monitoring East Reach and Henlade shows nitrogen dioxide emissions have dropped to an acceptable level and continued to drop between 2019 and now, and the levels in Yeovil have been compliant since 2023.
The AQMA status has been revoked immediately for East Reach and Henlade, and providing levels remain acceptable, will be removed in Yeovil in 2026.
