As the deadline for declaring Air Quality Management Areas approaches, Nick Warburton reports on Greater Manchester's drive to meet air quality standards and objectives for 2005

Initial response to the Government's December 2000 deadline for air quality reviews was slow, with over a third of councils missing the date. According to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR), around 70 per cent of councils have now responded to the January 2001 extension, but that still leaves a large number that have missed both deadlines. Councils now have until March to declare Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) where pollution levels must be reduced, and those that fail face being named and shamed on the DETR's web site. As EHJ goes to press, 14 air quality management areas have already been declared while the DETR anticipates that a total of 81 will be declared by the March deadline.

The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA), a partnership of 10 district councils, is one of the authorities that is expecting to fulfil its obligations. Public consultation was wrapped up last month and, following guidance from the DETR, the AGMA is preparing to declare an AQMA covering the Greater Manchester region in the next few weeks. Once this has taken place, action plans aimed at meeting the Government's health-based standards from 2003 onwards should be ready by next year. Greater Manchester authorities have an impressive track record when it comes to co-ordinating actions on pollution issues. Over the last decade, the AGMA has established a wide range of initiatives that leave Manchester at the forefront of environmental management. These include one of the most comprehensive public transport networks in the country (EHJ, August 2000, page 242), sustainable patterns of development, promoting the use of brown field sites and partnerships with industry to cut pollution emissions.

Air quality however, remains a key concern, particularly in relation to health and quality of life issues. Mounting evidence over recent years has emphasised the clear link between road transport, air pollution and health. A report entitled The Quantification of the Effects of Air Pollution on Health in the United Kingdom, published three years ago by the Department of Health's Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution (COMEAP), provides a stark illustration of the health problems linked to road traffic and industry. Its findings revealed that air pollutants significantly increased hospital admissions for people suffering with respiratory conditions, with the elderly being the greatest at risk. More alarming perhaps was the fact that those with advanced lung or heart disease could be dying weeks (even months) earlier than they would if air quality was better.

The findings greatly influenced the incoming Labour Government's decision to forward the timetable for the review of the National Air Quality Strategy by a whole year, to the end of 1998. By revisiting and recalculating the projections for the eight main air pollutants set in the original National Air Quality Strategy, the Government has shown a real commitment to improving air quality in the UK. In addition, government guidance over recent years has increasingly emphasised the relationship and interaction between pollution controls, including air quality land-use planning and transport planning. This was clearly endorsed in the Government's Regional Planning Guidance for the Northwest (RPG13), published in May 1996.

The RPG13 emphasised the importance of sustainable development and advocated the design of a development framework which would contribute to reducing emissions for motor vehicles, the region's main source of air pollution. The guidance also proposed that development plans should be drawn up to assist in reducing emissions from industry. Nevertheless, even though Greater Manchester was taking steps to improve air quality, hi-tech air quality monitoring by the individual councils indicated some parts of the region would not meet the Government's health-based standards between 2003 and 2008. Building on existing local initiatives and partnerships, the AGMA set up a multi-disciplinary officers steering group (consisting of chief officers from various policy areas such as planning and transport) to devise an Air Quality Strategy. Published in May 1997, the document would set the framework and terms of reference for the region's proposed AQMA.

From the outset, the steering group was assigned a strategic role for tackling local pollution levels. Technical advice was sought from an air quality working group at the Manchester Area Pollution Advisory Council (MAPAC), the purpose of which was to consider and offer advice on "the strategic, public health and environmental aspects of air quality management". This was done by:

• providing advice and guidance on the suitability and acceptability of proposed standards for air quality, particularly with regard to the national standards, to enable representation to be made to the appropriate bodies;
• liaison with the local planning and transport units to evaluate methods of air quality modelling and forecasting, and offering advice and guidance on how this could be best applied in the area;
• reviewing the means of air quality measurement available within the AGMA area and taking account of current proposals and future prospects for providing technical advice on the most cost-effective ways to establish effective monitoring through the AGMA area;
• developing partnerships and funding mechanisms within the area to improve air quality measurement and analysis;
• considering and advising on the feasibility and best means to develop and revise a regional emissions inventory to reflect changes in transportation and land use; and
• assessing and advising on the means of providing air quality information for the community and the feasibility of providing warnings when deteriorating air quality may lead to possible health affects.

As the working group already had extensive experience of monitoring smoke, sulphur dioxide (SO2) and lead emissions, and real-ime monitoring, the steering group was able to quickly move forward and apply MAPAC's expertise to assess air quality in the area. Besides reducing costs, it also ensured a consistent approach across the region. The assessment entailed the following:

• air pollution monitoring;
• use of emission inventories: funded by the DETR through supplementary credit approvals, the AGMA produced emissions inventories which provided valuable information for estimating emissions in the region. The inventories have formed an integral part of the modelling initiative. The Atmospheric Information Centre (ARIC) and Greater Manchester Transport Unit (GMTU) are currently updating the system; and
• use of air quality modelling packages: the purpose of which was to assess and predict the level of air pollution in the region. For a consistent approach across the councils, and to provide better value for money, the AGMA and neighbouring Warrington Borough Council submitted a regional bid to the DETR. So far approximately £200,000 has been spent on computer equipment, a modelling software package and the fees for two AGMA funded units to undertake a modelling exercise over 100 areas in the region. These results have now been extended to take in all of the Greater Manchester area.

Following the monitoring and modelling exercises, the local authorities worked together to deliver a unified air quality map for the region. The results showed that pollution levels varied considerably across the Greater Manchester area with particular pollutants registering high levels. "In some parts of the Greater Manchester area, only nitrogen dioxide and fine particles are likely to exceed the levels set by the Government", explains Cllr David Lancaster, chair of MAPAC.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particles (PM10) are by far the biggest pollutants across the region and are closely linked with road transport. Vehicles contributed 61 per cent of oxides of nitrogen, 36 per cent of fine particles and 94 per cent of carbon monoxide in the areas monitored. As the air quality map clearly shows, the highest concentrations relate to the major transport routes in the region, such as the M62 and A-roads into the city centre.

In December last year, once the problem areas in the Greater Manchester region had been identified, proposals for an AQMA went out for consultation. An information leaflet sent to local residents played an important role in raising public awareness of transport and air quality issues. The leaflet surveyed the public on ways to reduce pollution such as making better use of public transport, cycling and walking more often, and curbing the use of the car.

Many observers admit that public involvement is the key to long-term improvements in air quality, particularly when it comes to car usage. "Less use of the private car would produce the greatest environmental benefit to the city," says Tom Wileman, managing director of Stagecoach Manchester. In defining the boundaries of the AQMA, the AGMA is following advice from the DETR and the National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection (NSCA). It has decided to take a precautionary approach by adopting the 19 ppb (36 µg/m3)* threshold as likely to exceed the annual average for nitrogen dioxide in 2005, which appears to be a position favoured by most UK conurbations.

Although each council in the AGMA is responsible for declaring its own AQMAs, Cllr Lancaster points out that the authorities are working together on transport issues to create an action plan that will cover the whole of Greater Manchester. He adds that the AGMA will continue to pursue initiatives that support the link between air quality and sustainable development. "These action plans will complement existing local authority initiatives, such as local transport and urban development plans. A sustainable transport strategy will help reduce pollution by linking centres to public transport, while effective planning will focus on developments which help cut down traffic and minimise the impact on air quality." Roger Jones, chair of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority's policy committee has said: "Public transport obviously has a vital role to play cutting down the number of cars on the country's roads and is something which has a tangible impact on air quality."

Last November, a report highlighting the problems of air quality in many parts of the region proposed a number of transport measures aimed at reducing car usage, such as allowing only electric or gas-powered buses into the worst affected areas. Initiatives like Manchester's Metrolink, which produces no fumes at street level, would make an impact, but as Mr Jones points out, even by 2008, "large parts of the city will still not be served by the system".

The AGMA has been proactive in reducing pollution levels in the Greater Manchester region over the last 10 years and is planning to update and reassess its modelling of air quality to include new emission factors recently introduced. Whether the government targets on nitrogen dioxide and fine particles are met by the proposed dates however, will depend more on convincing the public to change its relationship with the car than building on existing public transport initiatives.

Readers may be interested in purchasing the WHO Environmental Health Pamphlets on air quality and pollution, available from the publications department for £7.60 each. Tel: 020 7827 5882.

The NSCA has published a guidance document for local authorities seeking to develop local air quality strategies called Air Quality Action Plans: Interim Guidance for Local Authorities. Order by E-mail from: sales@nsca.org.uk, priced £10, or Tel: 01273 878774.
The MAPAC consultation leaflet is available on the Internet: www.mapac.org.uk/

Note:
* ppb = parts per billion by volume
µg/m3 = micrograms per cubic meter