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Air quality
Medway Council is a member of the Kent and Medway Air Quality
Partnership, where data and information about air quality
throughout Kent is pooled and shared.
Diffusion tubes
Medway Council uses diffusion tubes to monitor nitrogen dioxide
concentrations at 22 locations around Medway.
Continuous monitoring
Medway has continuous automatic air quality stations in Chatham,
Luton and Lower Stoke. Monitoring of nitrogen dioxide and particles
is carried out at all three sites. The Lower Stoke site also
monitors sulphur dioxide and ozone and the Luton site monitors
sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone.
Monitoring data can be found at KentAir.
Latest air pollution levels
Find out the daily maximum pollution
levels.
Air pollution forecast
Find out
daily updated forecasts of UK air pollution concentrations
for up to 24 hours ahead.
Air quality management
As well as monitoring air quality, the council has a statutory
duty to review and assess the air quality in the area periodically.
This involves comparing the measured and predicted pollutant levels
to national air quality standards and objectives.
There are three areas in Medway where air quality does not
meet the objectives for the pollutant nitrogen dioxide.
The following documents can be
downloaded:
- Air Quality Action Plan (pdf
360KB)
Medway’s Air Quality Action Plan was published in July 2005. The
plan concludes the first round of local air quality review and
assessment and outlines how the council will use its powers to work
in conjunction with other organisations in pursuit of the air
quality objectives.
- Further Assessment
(pdf 2,520KB)
Medway's Further Assessment was produced in July 2011. The aim
of the Further Assessment is to revisit the findings of the
previous Detailed Assessments and carry out source apportionment
and mitigation scenario modelling. The assessment concludes that
the monitoring and dispersion modelling which has been carried out
to support the Further Assessment indicated that exceedences of the
NO2 annual mean are still prevalent throughout Medway’s three
AQMAs. However, the boundaries of the AQMAs are appropriate and do
not require to be revoked or amended at this time.
- Progress Report for
2010 (pdf 4,519KB)
This report considers monitoring data for the period January to
December 2010 and assesses the data against the relevant air
quality objectives. It also considers any significant development
changes, including changes to industrial emissions to atmosphere
that may have a significant impact on air quality.
- Updating and Screening
Assessment (USA) (pdf 1,973KB)
Medway Council published its third USA in May 2012. It
provides an update on air quality issues within Medway.
The USA considers the seven priority health-based air quality
objectives as laid down in regulations and assesses the likelihood
that the air quality objectives will be met by their target
dates.
- Detailed
Assessment (pdf 8,932KB)
Medway’s detailed assessment was produced in August 2009. It used
monitoring data and dispersion modelling to assess nitrogen dioxide
within the 2004 Medway Air Quality Management Areas
(AQMAs) and at four identified hotspots which were outside
the AQMAs. It concludes that the annual mean nitrogen dioxide
objective was exceeded at all four locations and at five out of the
six AQMAs. Additionally, it recommended that the boundaries of the
AQMAs be extended.
To use these files you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do
not have it on your computer, please use our advice page.
Dust
The council has a statutory duty to investigate dust nuisance
complaints in accordance with the Environmental
Protection Act 1990. Before considering action the pollution
team will fully investigate a complaint to determine if the dust
amounts to a statutory nuisance, however the council will always
endeavour to resolve the matter informally by providing guidance to
those responsible for dust prevention. The council will need to
determine:
- that the dust occurs often enough;
- the extent of the dust and its affect on the complainant;
- that the dust lasts for unreasonable periods of time.
Air quality links
To report an air pollution problem
Please use one of these two online forms:
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