Page 4 - Swale AQMA Feasibility Study April 2020_

AQMA Feasibility Assessment
A2 – Keycol Hill and Key Street, Swale

Introduction

1.1 Phlorum Ltd has been commissioned by Swale Borough Council (SBC) to
undertake an air quality modelling assessment across Key Street and Keycol
Hill, to determine if an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) is required in this
locality. The assessed location is included in Figure 1.

1.2 SBC has an extensive network of air quality monitoring sites across the
borough and it is understood that additional nitrogen dioxide (NO2) diffusion
tubes were added to the local road network in 2018 in this locality. Since July
2018, diffusion tubes along Keycol Hill have consistently exceeded annual
mean UK Air Quality Standard (AQS) concentrations for NO2. In addition, one of
the Key Street diffusion tubes also exceeded the annual mean NO2 AQS in
2018, with concentrations remaining consistently above the AQS through 2019.

1.3 The main pollutant of concern in this assessment is NO2, however this
assessment will also consider fine particulate matter, namely particulate
matter with a mass smaller than 10 microns (PM10) and 2.5 microns (PM2.5).

1.4 The focus of this report is therefore to review local monitoring data and
quantitatively assess the likely extent of any AQS exceedances using a detailed
air quality dispersion model. The assessment will provide the required
evidence for SBC to determine whether or not an AQMA is required and where,
if required, the AQMA should be located along Keycol Hill and/or Key Street.
The assessment is based on the 2018 ratified data, as provided by SBC.

The UK Air Quality Strategy (UKAQS)

1
1.5 The UKAQS sets “standard” (AQS) concentrations for a number of key
pollutants that are to be achieved at “sensitive” receptor locations across the
UK by corresponding “objective” dates. The sensitive locations at which the
standards and objectives apply are those where the population are reasonably
expected to be exposed to said pollutants over the particular averaging period.

1.6 For those objectives to which an annual mean standard applies, the most
common sensitive receptor locations used to compare concentrations against
the standards are areas of residential housing. It is reasonable to expect that
people living in their homes could be exposed to pollutants over such a period
of time.

1 Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (Volumes 1 and 2) July 2007.

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