outline

Project Outline
The project aims to: Produce a database of current urban air quality management practice in England Provide evidence of Advanced Air Quality Management (AQM) practice from a number of case studies Develop a series of Best Practice Guidelines for local authority air quality management practice.
The study will attempt to address questions such as: How have local authorities addressed air quality issues in the past? What is the current range of local authority AQM activity and practice? What tools, if any, are being used to monitor current air quality and predict future scenarios? What levels of integration are occurring between local authority departments such as transportation, planning, economic development and land use planning? What levels of co-operation are occurring between adjacent local authorities? How is air quality information disseminated to the public? What policy measures are already in place, or planned, to improve air quality? How are other agencies and bodies (such as the Highways Agency, health authorities and the Environment Agency) involved inthe air quality management process?
The project has conducted a questionnaire survey of local authorities, and others, including: district environmental health officers district planning officers district transport planners district economic development officers Local Agenda 21 Officers county planning officers county transport planners health authorities Environment Agency Highways Agency
The second stage of the study has looked at a number of case studies. Nine local authorities will be chosen and a more in-depth approach will be taken to investigate how the AQM process is embedded within the other local authority management processes (such as transport, land-use and economic planning). Inconsistencies and difficulties (as highlighted by the first stage of the study) are focussed on. The study also investigates the roles of organisations and agencies involved in Air Quality Management (for example the Environment Agency, DEFRA and the NSCA), their level of co-operation with local authorities and the resultant implication for the AQM process. The results of the research will be of benefit to a wide range of agencies, including: Local authorities and the Environment Agency (by providing the first comprehensive review of AQM practices in England as well as best practice guidelines) The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (which will benefit from an evaluation of how government policy is put into practice) air quality practitioners The object of the project is not to produce another academic study, but to determine best practice guidelines for local authority Air Quality Management and make recommendations for the improvement of Air Quality Management practice. The study will involve working closely with and complementing the aims of the air quality management resource centre, located within the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the University of the West of England, Bristol. The resource centre currently facilitates the development of research and training opportunities in the field of AQM and will bring together many of the beneficiaries of this research project. It is hoped that resources and expertise will be shared with the wider air quality management community, who will benefit from both the results of this study and the resources of the Air Quality Management Resource Centre.

Author: Clare Beattie
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