Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Environment

12 February 2002

Project Appraisal: Air Quality Equipment for the
North East Hampshire Transport Strategy Area

Report of the County Surveyor

Item 6

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE MEMBER - ENVIRONMENT

PROJECT APPRAISAL

PROJECT:

AIR QUALITY EQUIPMENT FOR THE NORTH EAST HAMPSHIRE TRANSPORT STRATEGY AREA

COMMENCEMENT DATE:

MARCH 2002

COMPLETION DATE:

APRIL 2002

PLANNED YEAR OF START IN ACCORDANCE WITH CAPITAL PROGRAMME: 2001/02

1.

FINANCE (Client Department, Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services [Estates Practice] and County Treasurer)

Current

Capital

Estimate

Programme

(at 2001

(at 2001

prices)

prices)

Capital Expenditure

£'000

£'000

Land to be purchased

nil

nil

Construction

14.1

14.1

Fees

69.9

69.9

84.0

84.0

Less developers/

other contributions

84.0

84.0

Financial provision for total scheme

Total Cost

1.

From Committees own resources

(a) Capital programme (2001/02)

50.0

Capital programme (2002/03)

34.0

(b) Other

84.0

2.

From other resources

(a)

(b)

(c)

TOTAL

84.0

Value of land for this project in HCC ownership £

Variations from capital programme

Revenue implications

£'000

% variation

to Committee's

budget

Net current expenditure

nil

nil

Capital charges

9

0.015

TOTAL net expenditure

9

0.015

2.

STATEMENT OF NEED/JUSTIFICATION FOR PROJECT

(Client Department)

Since the Environment Act 1995 local authorities have been required to play a major part in improving both local and national air quality. This includes responsibilities to assess and manage local air quality having regard to standards and objectives for eight known pollutants. These are continually being tightened in line with EU limits.

In March 2000 the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) published 'Air Quality and Transport'. This guidance is designed to help local authorities determine how transport measures might help improve air quality. It provides an overview of the policies the County Council can use to reduce the effect of road transport on local air quality and suggests a number of measures that might be implemented.

Guidance for the production of Local Transport Plans (LTP) builds upon this, highlighting the importance of integration of transport with wider policies, such as air quality. Pollutants from road transport are particularly important in busy, urban areas where meeting air quality objectives is most challenging. The LTP therefore includes targets for air quality in line with national standards and the information provided by this project will be an important element in monitoring progress against these targets.

The monitoring of air quality on an ongoing basis is an important part of meeting these responsibilities. The County Council, together with Hart District Council and Rushmoor Borough Council as part of the Blackwater Valley Network, has been involved in monitoring air quality for a number of years with the aim of providing information to interested groups and to help monitor the effect of traffic on air quality. Rushmoor and Hart operate three air quality monitoring stations near to the roadside, these are located close to the A30 at Blackwater (Hart District Council), Farnborough College of Technology (Rushmoor Borough Council) and M3 Southbound (Rushmoor Borough Council). The County Council owns the two latter stations.

The data from these stations is valuable to the County Council for several reasons, namely to:

(i)

monitor the effect transport has on the levels of pollutants;

(ii)

help assess the impact initiatives, such as traffic management schemes have on improving air quality;

(iii)

inform the Annual Progress Report, how progress is being made towards the targets set in the LTP; and

(iv)

provide the public with real-time information about air quality.

There are two distinct elements to this project. The provision of new air quality monitoring equipment and development of a public information system.

The `Hart J' type was the first station to be purchased in NEHTS. Unlike the other stations, this cabin does not benefit from air conditioning which means that the analysers can be unstable in extreme temperatures, bringing into question the quality of the data being collected. It is fundamental that the analysers operate in a controlled environment.

It is important that the data produced by this station is robust and therefore there is a need for regular station audits to be carried out by an independent company to ensure the analysers are operating within acceptable limits. Another key requirement is the management of data from the station. This work needs to be carried out effectively and able to withstand scrutiny. The inclusion of station audits and data management within this element of the project will enable the wider use of the data as there will be a higher level of confidence as to the accuracy. It will also ensure that the data produced is of high quality and meets Government standards.

The second element of the project is the development and provision of an air quality internet service, covering the three monitoring stations in the NEHTS area.

It is an overall aim of the County Council that data from the air quality monitoring sites throughout the county should be readily available to all interested parties. The internet provides the ideal mechanism by which the public, transport operators and other key stakeholders can obtain real-time air quality data.

A key factor in encouraging improvements in local air quality is to increase public awareness about this issue and the impact that pollution, particularly from road traffic, can have. Easy access to air quality data, which the internet allows, will greatly assist with this. In addition to Hart and Rushmoor it is intended to develop the air quality website to include Basingstoke, East Hampshire and Winchester in the short term, and subsequently to roll it out to cover the whole county.

As well as the proposals for NEHTS the County Council is developing a wide range of projects and initiatives to help meet the overall objective identified in the LTP, of achieving the objectives for air quality contained in the National Air Quality Strategy. A project appraisal for a new air quality monitoring station in Horndean was approved in January 2002. In Winchester a new computer package has been acquired which allows the County Council to access the two air quality monitoring sites in the city; this will be developed to include other sites throughout the county. Also in Winchester a new public display is to be provided in the Information Centre and as part of the CIVITAS project, and a forecasting model is to be developed which will allow the prediction of future air quality levels and assist the production of strategies to address this issue.

It is also hoped to be able to work in partnership with Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council and Farnborough College of Technology on the development of an air quality project to highlight issues and devise an overall strategy for the county. To contribute to this the County Council plays an active role in the National Air Quality Regional Coordinators Group, the Blackwater Valley Air Quality Network and the recently formed Transport Professional Air Quality Action Planning Team.

3.

ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROPOSAL (Client Department)

National/County network and policies

The Government imposes a statutory duty on councils to review and assess local air quality against a set of national objectives. LTPs are encouraged to include objectives and programmes relating to the reduction of the impact on air quality through emissions from transport.

Details of scheme and design standards

The data collected by the district councils will be made readily available to the County Council. A computer package, Enview, is already run by the County Council to analyse air quality information from the two Winchester air quality monitoring stations. As part of this project it will be possible to connect this system directly to the equipment so that updates can be provided on a daily basis. This will be particularly useful in informing the Annual Progress Report on the LTP, which incorporates targets for air quality. The information will be an important element in monitoring progress against these targets.

It is proposed that the `Hart J' type air quality monitoring station will be upgraded to incorporate air conditioning. Some of the existing equipment, including the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate analysers, can be refitted, although a new data logger and modem is required. The new cabin will also allow the air quality monitoring system to become more automated, as daily automatic calibrations of the NOx analyser will occur, instead of once every two weeks at present. The existing space restrictions inside the cabin, which make routine servicing and maintenance difficult, will also be overcome.

The information would be passed back to District Council and County Council offices regularly and could be updated on the web page quickly, thus allowing schools, hospitals and medical centres to be kept up-to-date with current air quality information. It is imperative that when providing information to the public that this can be relied on, hence the cost of maintenance and quality assurance/quality control has been built in. Without this the information could be invalid and mislead the public, and provide erroneous data for the review and assessment process.

The proposed internet information service will involve the purchase of a package which will allow the automated collection of ambient air quality data from each monitoring station. This data is then used to update the internet based database. The frequency of collection and update is every 12 hours. When the public access the data on the internet, they will be provided with information relating to the site location, including maps and photographs, and an indicator showing the current air quality. As well as a display showing the last 15 minute averages from the sites, another important feature is that the public can also interrogate historical data to give tables or graphs showing the concentrations of individual pollutants.

An inherent part of disseminating data is to ensure that it is accurate and can withstand scrutiny. The way of achieving this is through the use of data management techniques including manual checking and validation of all data before it is disseminated. The `air-quality.net' package incorporates this data management as standard, as it is seen as essential to provide a high level of confidence in the monitoring data.

Environmental impact

The impact of locating the equipment in Hart is minimal. The availability of air quality information will have a beneficial effect upon the environment, by increasing awareness of air pollution and helping people to make informed travel choices.

Land requirements

The current location of the air quality monitoring station close to the A30 at Blackwater is being reviewed as it is unlikely that the existing site is large enough to accommodate the new equipment. It is however likely to remain in the same area; if not located within the highway boundary then the intention is to locate it on local authority owned land.

Statutory procedures

None.

Public consultation

The Air Quality Reviews carried out by Hart District Council and Rushmoor Borough Councils are publicly available.

Local Member's View

The view of the relevant local Member will be sought if the location of the air quality monitoring station in Hart has to be moved following assessment of the site.

Facilities for the disabled

Not applicable.

Maintenance implications

The maintenance liability and consumables for five years is included within the overall contract. The district councils will seek to secure further funding from their own resources after that time.

Crime and Disorder Act 1998

No areas of concern have been identified.

Sustainability

Not applicable.

4.

ROAD IMPROVEMENT - ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED

(Client Department)

The selection of suppliers has been constrained because there is a very limited number of companies who are able to supply equipment and manage the services. Suppliers, other than the original provider of the Hart air quality monitoring station, have declined to quote because of the problems involved in integration of the system. Similarly there is only one provider of a supplier operated internet service.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1.

Published works.

2.

Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

TITLE

LOCATION

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