East Suffolk Council
Ferry Lane Felixstowe AQMA - Revoked
An AQMA was declared in 2009 due to exceedances of the air quality objective for annual mean nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at the Dooley Inn public house, Ferry Lane, Felixstowe. A Further Assessment was completed in 2010 confirming that the AQMA should be retained, and concluding that container handling activities on the Port, and heavy duty vehicles on roads external to the Port made the greatest contribution to NO2 levels within the AQMA.
Councils are required to produce an Action Plan following declaration of an AQMA. The overall aim of the Action Plan is to provide a framework for identifying and implementing measures to reduce emissions and mitigate the effects of air pollution. Following public consultation in 2012 the Action Plan for the Ferry Lane Felixstowe AQMA was finalised and received approval from Defra in 2012.
The Action Plan consists of 13 measures to try and reduce nitrogen dioxide levels in the area, of which seven have now been completed. Six measures are the responsibility of the District Council (three of these have been completed) and seven are the responsibility of the Port of Felixstowe (four of these have been completed). All other measures which are the responsibility of the Port of Felixstowe have been started and are on-going.
Since the declaration in 2009, measured annual mean concentrations have declined in the AQMA - the results of diffusion tube monitoring undertaken in 2016 confirmed that annual mean nitrogen dioxide concentrations within the Felixstowe AQMA boundary continue to reduce and are below the Air Quality Objective for the fifth year running at 34µg/m3.
Since the publication of the air quality Action Plan, the Council and the Port of Felixstowe have been proactive in working together to implement measures to reduce emissions from activities on the port and from HDVs accessing the port – the two major source contributions to emissions. These measures include:
- Use of more smaller, more efficient and electric Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes to replace the existing larger diesel cranes
- Purchase of newer internal movement vehicles fitted with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems to meet newer emission standards
- Reduction of emissions from HDV traffic using the port via Dock Gate 2 through better management of arrivals, increased use of rail for freight movements and increased used of Dock Gate 1 which is further away from relevant receptors.
- Improvements to shipping including increasing the sizes of berth to allow larger more efficient ships to use the port and investigating the potential for ships to run on liquefied natural gas in berth rather than diesel.
- Encouraging hauliers to use Dock Gate 1 instead of Gate 2 to reduce traffic close to the AQMA.
Despite an increase in throughput in the port, the implementation of these measures has assisted to reduce NO2 concentrations. Furthermore, a similar decline in measured levels are occurring at other locations around the port.
A Detailed Assessment has been undertaken which concludes that the annual mean Air Quality Objective for NO2 is now met within the Felixstowe AQMA and that there are unlikely to be any exceedances in the future. As a result it is recommended that the Felixstowe AQMA at the Dooley Inn, Ferry Lane should be revoked.
The findings of this assessment received approval from Defra earlier this year were taken to the Council’s Cabinet meeting on 5 April 2016 where they also received approval.
Public 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 June 2016.
Ferry Lane Felixstowe AQMA Revocation Order
On 5 October 2016 the AQMA declared at Ferry Lane, Felixstowe was revoked following the results of a Detailed Assessment.
Our air quality duties do not end now that the AQMA has been revoked:
- 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 and
- Air quality will continue to be considered in planning policy and future planning permissions across the district, and more specifically those which could impact on this area in Felixstowe.