Have your say on Air Quality Action Plan
News release issued:
Plans to improve air quality in the district are being consulted on.
Wyre Forest District Council is running a public consultation on its Draft Air Quality Action Plan. The document outlines what the council plans to do to improve air quality between 2025 and 2030.
There are two Air Quality Management Areas in the district. These are in the Welchgate area of Bewdley and Horsefair and Coventry Street areas of Kidderminster. The levels of nitrogen dioxide in these areas are just on or near the amount to trigger the need for an Air Quality Action Plan. This is mainly caused by diesel cars and vehicles. Exposure to excessive amounts of nitrogen dioxide can damage human health. Having this plan will enable the Council to make sure it reduces levels further.
The proposed steps in the draft action plan include support for the take-up of electric vehicles, measures to boost cycling and other forms of active travel, improvements to the taxi fleet and bus services as well as making the district council’s vehicles more environmentally efficient.
The consultation on the draft action plan was agreed by Wyre Forest District Council’s Cabinet at its meeting last night (Tuesday 12 November).
Councillor Tracey Onslow, Wyre Forest District Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for Culture, Leisure, Arts and Community Safety said:
“It is really important to us to put the right measures in place to tackle the issues and improve air quality further in the district. We are committed to reducing exposure to poor air quality to improve health. Some work the Council has previously undertaken contributes to this, such as the improvements to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal towpath and the improvements to the road infrastructure in the Horsefair.
We have worked with partners to come up with a whole host of actions for what we can do over the next five years and we would like your feedback. Please take a few minutes to take part in the survey.”
The survey launches on Monday 18 November and runs until 5pm on Sunday 12 January 2025. It will be available at https://www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk/AQAP