The Environmental Scrutiny Committee met on 05 December 2024 and discussed air quality in Cardiff and received updates from other committees. They agreed that the chair would write to the relevant Cabinet Member conveying their observations.

Local Air Quality

The committee received a report about air quality in Cardiff based on data from 2023.

Officers told the committee that air quality across the city had improved, saying:

135 locations monitoring nitrogen dioxide (NO2) across the city had reported encouraging results, with no sites exceeding the annual average objective in 2023 and an overall decrease of 37% since 2019.

The meeting heard that there were four Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) in Cardiff:

• In the city centre
• Near Stephenson Court on Newport Road
• Around the Ely Bridge junction
• In Llandaff.

The committee heard more about a number of schemes across the city that are intended to improve air quality:

• The Castle Street scheme was awarded £262,000 to cover preparatory costs for a scheme that would see the existing changes to the street made permanent. The scheme may receive further funding of up to £7.292m.
• A pilot scheme to install 45 new air quality monitors across the city was underway. The monitors will measure NO2, PM2.5 and PM10.
• The council was considering making the cycle pop-up scheme on Newport Road permanent.

Corporate Joint Committee, Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Western Gateway

The committee received an update on the activities of the Corporate Joint Committee (CJC), its Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and the Western Gateway Partnership.

The meeting heard that the council's representatives on the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee were Councillors Wong and Proctor.

Committee Business

The committee were told that there was only one item on the agenda for the next meeting, which would take place on 16 January 2025. As a result, they asked the Director of Planning, Transport and Environment to attend the meeting and provide an update on Road User Charging in Cardiff.