Nottingham CAZ plans dropped
Nottingham City Council claims citywide measures already underway to improve air quality mean a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) is no longer being considered in the city.
Cllr Sally Longford, Portfolio Holder for Energy and Environment, said existing measures would reduce air pollution to below the legal limit, without the need for a Nottingham CAZ.
Projects contributing to the fall in air pollution include retrofitting 180 NCT buses with clean exhaust technology, requiring every taxi and private hire vehicle in the city to be low emission, and the council replacing its own heavy vehicles – such as bin lorries – with electric or other low emission vehicles. In addition, the council is considering plans to revise the Clear Zone, which restricts access to the city centre, to include emissions criteria and a taxi permit scheme. The council’s Executive Board will consider a retrofit programme for Nottingham City Transport’s older buses with clean exhaust technology to meet Euro VI standards.
Councils consult on CAZs
Operators travelling to and from Leeds and York can have their say on the cities’ plans to implement CAZs.
Leeds City Council is looking for people living, working and commuting in Leeds and the wider region to have their say on its latest proposals to reduce air pollution and protect the health of people in the city. The Council’s proposals for a CAZ are expected to be presented to the government later this year. Leeds wants to consider the overall impact on Leeds, including financial effects, effect on equality and the displacement of emissions to other areas.
It follows an informal consultation earlier this year, which it claimed helped it understand how the CAZ would affect businesses and residents in the city. The public consultation will run until 12 August 2018 and can be completed here: https://goo.gl/vGH1Q7
City of York Council has also opened a CAZ consultation. Plans are for the city’s CAZ to require any individual buses to meet ultra-low emission buses (ULEB) standards if it: operates on a public local bus service within the CAZ or uses the service route five or more times per day. The consultation closes at midnight on Friday 3 August and can be completed at: https://goo.gl/x2Pw2A
Southampton City Council and New Forest District Council are also seeking views on proposals for its CAZ. A questionnaire has been launched at https://goo.gl/WkHz2e but is available in other formats by contacting [email protected]
The closing date for providing feedback is 13 September 2018.