NEW measures to combat poor air quality in Salisbury are set to be considered as part of a new plan.

Wiltshire Council has formally adopted its Air Quality Action Plan, which details how it will continue to progress with improvements to air quality and health protection across the county.

The Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) outlines actions the council will take to improve air quality in Wiltshire up to 2029 and replaces the previous AQAP, which ran from 2015 to 2023.

The council currently has eight Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) declared in the county – including three in Salisbury – which are places where air quality is unlikely to meet government air quality targets.

Others are in Bradford-on Avon, Westbury, Marlborough, Devizes and Calne.

In these places, the council is required to take special steps to improve air quality.

Under the new plan, which was formally adopted on March 19, actions set to be considered come under the following broad topics:
• Alternatives to private vehicle use
• Environmental permits
• Freight and delivery management
• Policy guidance and development control
• Promoting low emission transport
• Promoting low emission plant
• Promoting travel alternatives
• Public information
• Transport planning and infrastructure
• Traffic management
• Vehicle fleet efficiency

Cabinet member for waste and environment, Cllr Dominic Muns, said: “I’m pleased we have finalised this action plan following a robust process and really worthwhile consultation.

“It is important that the plan will develop over time, and it sets out clear direction and priorities to support our efforts to improve air quality throughout the county.

“It is our responsibility to drive this plan forward but, alongside partners and the public, we all have a collective responsibility to do what we can to continue the progress which has seen pollutant trends moving towards an overall improvement in air quality in the county.”

Projects delivered directly and indirectly through the previous action plan include:
• Ensuring Air Quality was incorporated into wider spatial planning and transport policy.
• Supporting the implementation of LTP (Local Transport Plan) 3, where it brings about improvements in Air Quality. Including implementing key junction improvements identified by the Devizes Transport Strategy (including acceleration of A361/London Road junction improvements, and addition of new cycle towpaths improvements / contraflow cycle lane).
• Establishment of local air quality groups to spearhead their own local initiatives to improve air quality within Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs).
• Supporting bids to OLEV and for the introduction of electric buses in Salisbury.
• Developing revised Supplementary Planning Guidance on air quality for developers.
• Developing a dedicated Air Quality website giving access to data to Wiltshire residents and others.
• Introducing a Know and Respond text service for vulnerable people to alert them of poor air quality episodes.

The cabinet report and full Air Quality Action Plan can be found online at https://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=141&MId=14755.