East Suffolk Council

Revocation of AQMA Felixstowe Results 2016

Consultation results

Revocation of the AQMA at Ferry Lane, Felixstowe - May/June 2016

During May and June 2016 we undertook a Public Consultation asking for views and comments on our intention to revoke the AQMA declared at Ferry Lane, Felixstowe. The Consultation ran for 6 weeks and ended on 30^th June 2016.

Key findings:

• The Council received a total of 6 responses to the Consultation which are detailed in the table below. We have sent individual replies to each of the 6 consultees.
• 5 responses were in favour of revoking the AQMA and 1 was against it.

Consultee	Category	Response
SCDC Councillor	Local Authority	As a Felixstowe Councillor I am quite happy for the Felixstowe AQMA to be revoked. I know how assiduously you have worked on this project in the past and it is great to see that the recommendations and actions have been successful over the years.
SCC Councillor	Local Authority	This is very good news for local residents. Thanks to Suffolk Coastal and the Port of Felixstowe for working together to reduce harmful pollutants for residents in the area around (particularly to the east of) the Dooley PH, also residents in Adastral Close.
SCDC Councillor	Local Authority	If the air quality round the Dooley is now of an acceptable standard, yes the AQMA can be revoked. Presumably the air quality in this area will be routinely tested to make sure it is ok.
Port of Felixstowe	Business	We are pleased that our efforts seem to have been successful.
Felixstowe Town Council	Local authority	The proposal was considered by my Council’s Planning & Environment Committee today. Members of the Committee welcomed the report and fully endorsed the recommendation to revoke the AQMA.
Resident of Orwell Green, Felixstowe	Member of Public	I am minded to comment concerning the consultation on air pollution emitted from Felixstowe Port and its supporting infrastructures. I am disappointed that SCDC have seen fit to revoke the AQMA of Ferry Lane and Dock Gate Two. Rather, I would suggest that the communities of Cavendish Park and Orwell Green would benefit from having a monitoring system in their midst on the higher ground. Furthermore, if the NO2 levels have been reported as falling for six years the god help us, as our childrens health must have been at great risk prior to this. I would put it to you that the port expansion i.e the new Landguard Terminal and that the port can now handle six of the worlds largest vessels at any one time, and the additional pollution from the Harwich Navy yard must surely cancel out any reports of falling NO2 levels. My property is some 1,000m from the port perimeters and we have certainly not seen any improvement in our air quality as the prevailing SW wind blows most of the contamination our way. Whilst I applaud any measures to improve air quality, I am horrified by the latest PHE – Defra figures confirming that we are amongst the UK’s 43 air quality zones which are breaking EU safe limits. Other residents will I hope, confirm that there are days when the air is acrid and leaves one’s eyes stinging, and you can usually see a defined mist like hue hanging over the port. My window cleaner will also confirm the high carbon and rubber content on his wash clothes. I would strongly urge you to reconsider your decision on revoking and AQMA’s adjacent to the ports perimeters and to seriously consider the many hundreds of residents, young people, and the schools and play areas affected by the ports inferior air quality.

Actions to be taken following the Consultation:

• Suffolk Coastal District Council will revoke the Air Quality Management Area at The Dooley Inn, Ferry Lane, Felixstowe.
• Monitoring for nitrogen dioxide will continue within the AQMA, at locations around the Port of Felixstowe, and along the A14 trunk road at Trimley and Felixstowe.
• Yearly reports containing the monitoring data will continue to be published on the council’s website.
• Air Quality will continue to be considered in planning policy and future planning permissions.