Air quality

An air quality management area (AQMA) around the Whirlies Roundabout, East Kilbride, between A725, A749 and B783 and extending along all of the roads leading into the roundabout was declared in 2008 due to likely breaches of Particulate Matter (PM10) annual mean air quality objective of 18µg/m3. An air quality action plan has been developed and approved with measures to reduce air pollution levels in East Kilbride.

We have statutory obligations to monitor air quality and to take corrective action where specified pollutant concentrations are above permitted objective levels. The council has 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 Whirlies AQMA was declared by South Lanarkshire Council in 2008 for particulate matter (PM10) due to exceedances of the annual mean air quality objective. This was undertaken following a further 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 particulate matter (PM10) in more recent years is consistently below the air quality objective for this pollutant.

Measured particulate matter (PM10) concentrations have declined over recent years, supporting an updated review of air quality at Whirlies. This most recent review demonstrates that air quality has improved and air quality objectives currently, and in future, should not be exceeded.

South Lanarkshire Council has supported traffic management and air quality improvement actions. Whirlies specific initiatives have included:

1. Three Beat the Street projects, which are community game-based projects aimed at encouraging the uptake of active and sustainable travel for short local journeys. See information on the most recent project: Winners of East Kilbride’s latest Beat the Street challenge - South Lanarkshire View.
    
2. Partnership working with Universal Connections in East Kilbride has resulted in the installation of secure cycle storage, cycle leader training, as well as the set-up of a bike library resource to support the uptake of cycling. See Cycling has universal appeal - South Lanarkshire View
    
3. Improvements to East Kilbride based train stations, including the building of a new transport interchange at Hairmyres, have supported the uptake of both active and public forms of transport. See Transport interchange opens at Hairmyres - South Lanarkshire View
    
4. New segregated walking and cycling infrastructure has been built in East Kilbride to support the uptake of active travel.
    
5. We have worked in partnership with South Lanarkshire College to assist in the purchase of a new e-cargo bike to enable sustainable deliveries across campus, including transporting materials for the horticultural department. Dr Bike sessions have also been supported to assist staff and students with bike maintenance.

South Lanarkshire area wide measures have included:

1. Installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure at various locations across South Lanarkshire to support the uptake of low-emission vehicles. See Charging for electric vehicles gets a boost - South Lanarkshire View

2. Anti engine idling campaigns to discourage drivers from sitting with their engines running, especially outside schools and sports venues, have been run. See Engine idling focus for Clean Air Day - South Lanarkshire View

3. ECO Stars is an initiative that supports fleet operators to transition to lower emission vehicles.

4. Cycle training has also been provided within our schools. In academic year 2023-24, there were 42 schools delivering to Bikeability Level 1 and 38 schools training to Level 2 on road, with one additional school delivering Level 2 style training in the playground.

5. We have, in partnership with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), been improving facilities at bus stops, including providing high-quality bus shelters, making bus stops more accessible, with the installation of high kerbs that are at the same height as the floor of the buses and providing timetable information at all bus stops. Also installed are real-time passenger information along some of the strategic bus routes, making travelling by bus more convenient and desirable. 

For the previous three years, the Target Air Quality Standard of 18 µg/m3 Scottish Particulate Matter (PM10)) annual mean objective has not been exceeded at the Whirlies East Kilbride continuous air quality monitoring station. No PM10 daily means greater than 50 µg/m3 were measured, which is compliant with the 24-hour short-term mean objective.

All annual mean NO2 concentrations measured at automatic and non-automatic monitoring sites within the East Kilbride area were below the annual mean objective of 40 µg/m3 and have been below the objective now for more than three years.

No sites have measured 1-hour mean NO2 concentrations in excess of 200 µg/m3 objective more than 18 times between 2020 and 2023. All measurement sites were therefore compliant with the 1-hour short-term mean objective.

An AQMA revocation report for Whirlies was submitted to the Scottish Government at the end of 2024. This report concluded that ‘The Whirlies AQMA was declared due to potential exceedance of the Scottish annual mean objective for PM10. Monitoring data for the annual mean PM10 as well as the 24-hour short-term mean PM10 objective, the NO2 annual mean objective and the 1-hour short-term mean NO2 objective have been reviewed. No exceedances of any of the PM10 and NO2 air quality objectives have been measured for in excess of three years. All monitoring results were significantly below the air quality objectives, giving confidence that future exceedance is unlikely. On this basis, South Lanarkshire are revoking the Whirlies AQMA.’

A detailed breakdown of the air quality monitoring data is provided within the revocation report.

The proposal to revoke the Whirlies AQMA was presented to the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee on 12 August 2025 and received approval.

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

South Lanarkshire Council hereby notifies its intention to revoke the Whirlies Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) for PM10 in exercise of powers conferred upon it by Section 83(1) of the Environment Act 1995.

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