The Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss a range of issues, including a review of household waste recycling centres, an update on air quality management areas, and the York and North Yorkshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy. The committee agreed to send a letter to the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, advocating for the development of an Active Travel Strategy as a priority alongside the Local Transport Plan. They also provided feedback to officers on the provision of 'Carbon Literacy' training for elected members.

Household Waste Recycling Centre Review

The committee reviewed proposals to introduce a registration scheme limiting free use of household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) to North Yorkshire residents, and to allow owners of commercial-like vehicles (CLVs) up to 12 free visits per year. The proposals aim to achieve savings of £300,000 for the council.

The council currently provides 20 HWRCs plus mobile sites, handling 64,500 tonnes of waste annually, with 1.6 million visits, at a cost of £6.6 million. Surveys indicate that, on average, 1 in 6 visitors are not North Yorkshire residents. The council is legally required under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to provide HWRCs for residents free of charge.

The proposed resident registration scheme would require residents to register online or by phone, with verification at the sites using handheld devices. A 3-month rollout period is planned. CLV and trailer access would be limited to 12 visits per year, with trailers between 5 and 10 feet included. Drivers of adapted disability vehicles would be exempt.

A consultation on the proposals received over 3,000 responses, with 69% supporting resident-only access, 71% supporting charging non-residents, and 60% supporting CLV limits. Concerns were raised about potential increases in fly-tipping¹.

The committee was informed that a similar scheme at Stokesley HWRC reduced waste by 22%.

Due to a high influx of non-residents from the Middlesbrough and Stockton-Tees areas, a resident only permit scheme was put in place in 2016 at Stokesley HWRC, and successfully reduced the tonnage throughput by 22%.

The committee was also told that 87% of local authorities benchmarked regulate access by CLVs through permits or booking systems, with 12 annual visits being the most common limit.

The proposals are due to be considered by the Executive on 21 October 2025.

Air Quality Management Areas Update

The committee received an update on air quality management areas (AQMAs) in North Yorkshire from Kevin Carr, Divisional Officer (Scientific). Local authorities have a legal obligation to regularly review and assess air quality in their areas, as required by the Air Quality (England) Regulations 2000.

The pollutants of concern in North Yorkshire are nitrogen dioxide (NO2), mainly from transport, and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), mainly from domestic solid fuel burning. When objective levels are exceeded, an AQMA is declared, and an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) is developed.

There are currently 8 AQMAs in North Yorkshire:

1. Staithes
2. Selby – The Crescent / New Street
3. Bond End, Knaresborough
4. Wetherby Road, Harrogate (To Revoke)
5. York Place, Knaresborough (Revoked)
6. Low/High Skellgate, Ripon (Revoked)
7. Malton – Town Centre (Revoked)
8. Bedale – Town Centre (To Revoke)

The AQMA at Bond End, Knaresborough, was declared in 2010 due to exceedances of the annual mean objective for nitrogen dioxide. Changes to the road layout in 2018, replacing three sets of traffic lights with two mini roundabouts, have resulted in concentrations falling below the objectives since 2020.

The AQMA on Wetherby Road, Harrogate, was declared in 2017 due to exceedances of the limit for NO2 at the 1st floor flat above a pub. Concentrations increased following a change in road layout but have since decreased to below the objective.

Measures to address air quality in North Yorkshire rely on partners to provide information. Examples include regeneration in Selby, a housing association coal to gas conversion in Staithes, and the roundabouts in Bond End, Knaresborough.

Future work includes monitoring and statutory reports, an air quality strategy (March 2027), local plan consultations, links with primary authority, and community work.

The Environment Act 2021 sets legally-binding targets to reduce concentrations of PM2.5, including an annual mean concentration target of 10μg/m3 across England by 2040, and an average population exposure reduction target of 35% in 2040 compared to a 2018 baseline.

York and North Yorkshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy Update

The committee received an update on the North York and North Yorkshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS). North Yorkshire Council was appointed by Defra² as the responsible authority in August 2023 and commenced work on the LNRS in September of the same year.

LNRS are designed to drive more coordinated action to help nature by agreeing priorities for nature's recovery, mapping the most valuable existing areas for nature, and mapping specific proposals for creating or improving habitat.

A public consultation took place between 30 June and 12 August, with engagement sessions including webinars and drop-in sessions for stakeholders, land managers, and the public. The project team is currently reviewing the comments received.

The next steps include submitting the 'pre-publication' draft to supporting authorities (Natural England, York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority, City of York Council, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, North York Moors National Park Authority) for consideration in early October 2025, and submitting the final version to the NYC Executive for consideration and sign off in December 2025.

The LNRS is expected to be delivered through various channels, including Local Investment in Natural Capital (LINC), Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs), biodiversity net gain (BNG), and the Local Plan.

Defra has confirmed funding of £135,000 for the transition to delivery of the LNRS for FY '25-'26.