Development and Implementation of Strategic Frameworks for Air Quality Management in the UK and the European Community

Abstract

The UK and the EC have recognized that the application of national and EC policies alone may not be cost effective in improving air quality in some areas, especially in traffic-congested urban centres and along major road transport corridors. Consequently both have introduced new strategic frameworksfor air quality management.This paper outlines and compares the UK National Air Quality Strategy (NAQS) and the EC approach, set out in the Air Quality Framework and Daughter Directives. Both frameworks shift responsibility for reviewing, assessing and managing air quality on to local authorities. The UK considers the NAQS will provide the principal means of carrying out its commitments under the new EC framework.Local authorities in the UK have begun the review and assessment phase of the NAQS. This paper examines the support that central government has had to provide to local authorities to ensure the NAQS will be effective. It offers insights into what other Member States are likely to face when implementing their interpretation of the EC air quality management framework. The paper highlights that many UK local authorities lacked even basic air quality management capabilities when the NAQS was being formulated. Consequently the UK Government has had to expand the national pollution monitoring networks (this was achieved primarily by affiliating the growing number of local authority funded sites), commission new detailed urban emissions inventories, and develop and validate a suite of air quality dispersion models. Training events in air quality assessment techniques have had to be offered and many detailed guidance notes issued to ensure an appropriate and consistent interpretation of the NAQS. Some government initiatives to support the implementation of the NAQS suffered delays which initially caused some unnecessary uncertainties and inconsistencies amongst local authorities conducting their review and assessment of air quality. This points to the importance of the Governmentensuring that the support for the management phase of the NAQS will be in place in time. This includes providing additional pollution-control powers and reformulating transport and planning policies in order to integrate air quality management more fully.