St Albans Green councillors have responded to the Council’s latest Air Quality Action Plan with a host of areas for improvement and comments on where the plan falls short of best practice.
The Council issued the draft plan in 2024 and consulted residents. The updated plan has been further circulated for comment from councillors. The Council has not announced when the final plan will be published.
Our response to St Albans’ draft Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) has called for significant improvements, highlighting several key areas that need strengthening. Our consultation feedback identifies gaps in public health integration, recommending closer collaboration with public health teams and clearer links between air quality actions and local health priorities.
Our response emphasizes the need for greater focus on PM2.5 pollution, particularly from domestic wood burning, which contributes 27% of these harmful emissions. We call for expanded smoke control areas and better enforcement of solid fuel regulations.
Transparency and communication emerge as crucial areas for development, with our suggestions for a dedicated air quality website and real-time alert system for poor air quality days. We also highlight the importance of establishing clear timelines and measurable outcomes for initiatives such as the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan and High Street closure considerations.
Our submission includes practical recommendations such as implementing Clean Air Zones, restricting resident permits for diesel cars, and creating zero-emission loading bays and taxi ranks. We also suggest better monitoring of air pollution around schools and rail freight sites, alongside improvements to cycling infrastructure through secure storage and a bike hire scheme.
We emphasize that without specific timescales and quantifiable targets, many of these initiatives may fail to deliver meaningful improvements to local air quality.