The Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 introduced a statutory obligation on councils to carry out a review and assessment of their local air quality known as local air quality management (LAQM). This involves measuring air pollution and trying to predict how it will change in the next few years. The aim of the review is to make sure that the national air quality objectives will be achieved throughout the UK by the relevant deadlines.

In Northern Ireland the air quality objectives contained in the strategy are incorporated into the Air Quality Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003. This provides the statutory basis for the system of LAQM and include the following pollutants: fine particulates (PM10 and PM2.5), oxides of nitrogen, ozone, sulphur dioxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene, one - two butadiene, carbon monoxide, lead and ammonia. Where this assessment indicates that an air quality objective is unlikely to met in any part of its district the local authority must declare an air quality management area (AQMA) and prepare an Action Plan and further assessment of the level of exceedance and indicate how the objective is to be met.

The Review and Assessment Process requires us to produce every three years, an updating and screening assessment (USA). This involves an examination of traffic volumes, new sources of pollution and monitoring data and compare these to national objectives for specific pollutants. Where the USA indicates that any of these objectives will be exceeded then we are required to produce a second report called the detailed assessment. The detailed assessment uses monitoring and/or modelling data to provide an accurate assessment of whether the objective (pollutant) in question will be exceeded.

In addition to the USA and detailed assessment, we are also required to produce a progress report in years when the USA is not undertaken. The progress report details current conditions and examines any changes in the Borough that may affect air pollution levels.

If the detailed assessment shows that an area definitely exceeds an air quality objective the Council is required to declare an air quality management area (AQMA). It is obviously important to identify the source of the pollution within an AQMA and how much of an improvement in pollution levels are required so that we can develop an Action Plan to show how we are going to improve the air quality within an AQMA to meet the national objectives.

Review and Assessment Reports:

 

The 1st Stage Review and Assessment Report (.pdf 966Kb)

The 2nd & 3rd Stage Review and Assessment Report (.pdf 22.4MB)

The 2nd & 3rd Stage Review and Assessment Appendices (.pdf 726Kb)

Local Air Quality Progress Report April 2005 (.pdf 951Kb)

Local Air Quality Progress Report Appendices 2005 (.pdf 816Kb)

Stage 4 Domestic Fuel Combustion completed by Netcen October 2005 (.doc 3.62MB)

Local Air Quality Progress Report August 2007 (.pdf 2.8MB)

Local Air Quality Progress Appendices August 2007 (.pdf 66Kb)

Local Air Quality Updating & Screen Assessment May 2007 (.pdf 792Kb)

Local Air Quality Updating & Screen Assessment May 2007 Appendices (.pdf 46Kb)

Local Air Quality Progress Report October 2008 (.doc 5MB)

Local Air Quality Progress Report October 2008 Appendices (.doc 6MB)

Detailed Assessment AEA Final 2008 (.pdf 5.8MB)

USA April 2009 (.pdf 2.9MB)

Progress Report 2010 (.pdf 4.0MB)

Progress Report 2011 (.pdf 2.9MB)

USA April 2012 (.pdf 2.9MB)

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Newtownabbey’s Air Quality Management Areas

An Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) is an area of land where air quality levels are breeching the national limits and require action to deal with or ‘manage’ this and are put in place to protect people's health and the environment.

The Council has declared 3 AQMAs due to the emissions of nitrogen dioxide from road traffic (see below), and these came into effect on 28 January 2008.

Air Quality Management Area 2 - Main Street, Ballyclare (revoked):

View Map (.pdf 102Kb)

View Streets (.doc 27Kb)

View AQMA Order (.doc 780Kb)

Air Quality Management Revocation Order Main Street Ballyclare
(.doc 282Kb)

Air Quality Management Area 3 - Antrim Road, Elmfield:

View Map (.pdf 256Kb)

View Streets (.doc 29Kb)

View AQMA Order (.doc 78Kb)

Air Quality Management Area 4 - Sandyknowes (revoked):

View Map (.pdf 240Kb)

View Streets (.doc 28Kb)

View AQMA Order (.doc 77Kb)

Air Quality Management Revocation Order Sandyknowes
(.doc 282Kb)

Air Quality Management Area 1 - Ballyclare (revoked):

View Map (.pdf 1.72Mb)

View Streets (.doc 40Kb)

View Revocation Order (.doc 286Kb)

Action Plans:

Air Quality Action Plan for Newtownabbey December 2010 (.pdf 1.1MB)

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The declaration of Air Quality Management Areas indicates that the Council recognises that air quality is poor within the areas, and that positive steps now need to be taken to reduce these levels through development of an Action Plan.

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