Lanark air quality management area consultation

Revocation of Lanark Air Quality Management Area (South Lanarkshire Council) Order No. 3 Lanark

An air quality management area for Lanark was declared in January 2016 due to exceedances of nitrogen dioxide. An air quality action plan has been developed and approved with measures to reduce air pollution levels in Lanark.

We have statutory obligations to monitor air quality and to take corrective action where specified pollutant concentrations are above permitted objective levels. We have a statutory duty to provide an annual progress report to the Scottish Government regarding air quality standards and any action being taken by the council to fulfil statutory obligations.

The Lanark air quality management area was declared by South Lanarkshire Council in 2016 for nitrogen dioxide due to exceedances of the air quality objective. This was undertaken following detailed assessment.

Monitoring of pollutants has been ongoing since 2007 with automatic monitoring introduced in 2012. Annual progress reports submitted to the Scottish Government on air quality within South Lanarkshire, have highlighted that concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in more recent years are consistently below the air quality objective for this pollutant.

Measured nitrogen dioxide concentrations have declined over recent years, supporting an updated detailed assessment of air quality at Lanark for nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter (PM2.5). This most recent detailed assessment demonstrates that air quality has improved and air quality objectives currently, and in future, will not be exceeded. See the extract from the detailed assessment.

The proposal to revoke the Lanark air quality management area was presented to the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee on 14 March 2023 and received approval to consult statutory consultees, businesses, members of the public and other interested parties.

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) were in agreement that the revocation of Lanark AQMA should proceed.

Following completion of the consultation process South Lanarkshire has revoked the Lanark Air Quality Management Area in exercise of powers conferred upon it by Section 83(1) of the Environment Act 1995. The revocation order can be viewed on the Revocation Order webpage.