Air quality in Eastleigh Borough gets a further boost
The latest improvement has taken place along the High Street, Botley
The drive to improve air quality in Eastleigh has received a further boost.
A government mandated Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) has been revoked along the High Street, Botley – thanks to a year-on-year improvement in the amount of NO2 Nitrogen Dioxide in the area.
It follows news of a ‘significant’ improvement in air quality along each side of the M3 motorway in Eastleigh, resulting in the revocation of the area’s (Area 2) AQMA status earlier this year.
In Eastleigh Borough, the main pollutant that causes concern is NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide), a pollutant associated with fumes emitted by car exhausts.
The latest designated area (Area 4) incorporates the A334 from the Borough boundary east of the junction with the B3354, Winchester Street, to the junction with Woodhouse Lane incorporating Broad Oak and a 5m corridor either side of it.
The council will continue to monitor the area, and all the data will still be available online.
Fewer older vehicles including heavy good vehicles on the road, and more people switching to electric vehicles are thought to be among the reasons behind the improvements
Eastleigh Borough Council’s Pollution Control Manager, Andre Pires, said: “We welcome this latest step to moving towards better air quality in the Borough.
“Poor air quality can impact on people’s health, including children.
“This achievement would not have been possible without the help of Eastleigh residents and commuters to the Borough and the hard work of our Environmental team. I would like to extend my thanks to all who have actively contributed to our success in this area.
“There is still more to be done, but we are heading in the right direction.
The Air Quality Action Plan 2020-2025 is a Borough-wide document that covers all declared AQMAs and was adopted and published in February 2020.
It contains actions to improve air quality in the Borough. This document is under review with the possibility of being replaced by an Air Quality Strategy subject to 2025 Air Quality Annual data.
The 2025 Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR 2025) submitted to Defra (Department for environment, food and rural affairs) presents the air quality monitoring results.
It shows its progress against the national air quality objective. AQMA No.4 (Botley High Street) has not exceeded national objectives for more than six years.
To find out more about air quality in Eastleigh and a further link to the data, please visit https://www.eastleigh.gov.uk/environment/environmental-health/pollution/air-quality/air-quality-monitoring