Content

(Report of
Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health)
 
The
report presented the monitoring results at the six Air Quality
Management Areas (AQMAs) in the borough and recommended revocation
of the M20 AQMA in accordance with the Local Air Quality Management
(LAQM) Technical Guidance 2022 document (TG22), which provided the
current statutory guidance as to how local authorities should
comply with the relevant legislation to monitor and tackle air
pollution.
 
Members noted that, according to the TG22, there should not be
any declared AQMAs for which compliance with the relevant objective
(annual mean NO2 concentrations being lower than 36
µg/m3, i.e. within 10% of the annual mean
NO2 objective) had been achieved for a consecutive
5-year period, which had been the case for the M20 AQMA, and if the
respective NO2 levels remained consistent in 2024 in the
case of the other AQMAs with the exception of the Wateringbury
AQMA, they would also be recommended for review and revocation in
2025.
 
Furthermore, it was
clarified that air quality monitoring across the borough, including
within the current AQMAs, would continue following the revocation
as recommended.
 
Following
consideration by the Communities and Environment Scrutiny Select
Committee, the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Regeneration and
Property resolved that:
 
(1)         
the M20 Air Quality Management Area be revoked;
and

 
(2)         
the status of the Air Quality Management Areas in
Tonbridge High Street, Aylesford, Larkfield and Borough Green be
acknowledged and reviewed again in 2025 with a view to revocation
should monitoring results for 2024 be conducive.