AN ACTION PLAN aimed at maintaining Dundee’s reputation for generally good air quality is to be drawn up by the city council, writes Brian Allison, local government reporter.

The whole of the city will be declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in terms of environmental legislation.

Thereafter, a new assessment of the city’s current air quality and what it is likely to be in the future has to be undertaken to assist in preparing the plan.

Head of environmental health and trading standards Albert Oswald said the action plan would help the council actively work towards meeting and maintaining the National Air Quality Standard (NAQS).

“The council has a statutory obligation to declare an Air Quality Management Area,” he said.

“Following the declaration of an AQMA, the council has to undertake a further assessment of existing and likely future air quality.

“This further assessment is intended to supplement information the authority already has and inform an Air Quality Action Plan, which the council has to produce to bring forward local measures that will actively improve the air quality levels in the city.”

While legislation requires councils to designate as AQMAs areas where air quality standards are breached, it is open to them to specify a wider area.

Mr Oswald said the whole city should be made an AQMA for a number of reasons, including that it was non-discriminatory and avoided blight, it would ensure air quality was considered at a strategic decision-making level, and it would take account of strategic air quality impacts such as those emanating from the movement of regional traffic.

“Although the air quality in Dundee is generally very good, like many other urban authorities the city has a few locations where air quality breaches the current NAQS,” he said.

“In addition to (addressing) these hotspots, we also want to maintain, and where possible improve upon, the existing general high standard of air quality in Dundee.”