East Suffolk Council
Taking action to improve air quality
Air quality monitoring carried out annually by East Suffolk Council recorded falling nitrogen dioxide levels across the district last year.
In December last year, and as a consequence of the trend in improving air quality, East Suffolk Council received approval from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to revoke its last remaining Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), located at Stratford St Andrew. This followed an eighth consecutive year with no exceedance of the Government’s annual air quality objectives.
Last Air Quality Management Area in East Suffolk removed
The Council’s latest annual report on air quality has shown that recorded NO₂ concentrations reached a maximum of 25.4 microgrammes per cubic meter (µg/m3) across the district last year – against a national mean objective of 40µg/m3.
2025 Air Quality Annual Status Report
In 2024, levels were monitored at 94 sites, covering 27 locations in East Suffolk, including 11 positioned outside primary schools as part of an education campaign, with each site assessed periodically to ensure a full and accurate picture across the district.
It coincides with East Suffolk Council inviting members of the public to help shape its updated Air Quality Strategy by sharing their priorities for tackling air pollution and further improving our environment.
The results of public engagement conducted in March, via online poll, will go on to help inform the updated strategy due for Cabinet approval later in the year.
As well as updating its Air Quality Strategy, East Suffolk Council’s key priorities for 2025 include monitoring compliance for consented Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIPs) within the district, including Sizewell C nuclear power station, as well as appraising submitted documents and taking part in the Public Examination for National Grid Ventures’ Sea Link NSIP.
Cllr Sally Noble, East Suffolk Council cabinet member for the Environment said:
“Air pollution has the potential to damage the environment and adversely affect health, impacting on our wellbeing and bringing with it a cost to society.
“Like the rest of the UK, in East Suffolk, sources originating from human activity include emissions from transport and fine dust or particles from domestic burning. It is encouraging to see that changes in technology and behaviour are having a positive impact on air quality.
“But we must not rest on our laurels. As a local authority, we have been extensively involved in scrutinising proposals for a number of major energy projects and their potential air quality impacts within the district. Our involvement is ongoing, and we will need to ensure that any construction takes place in accordance with approved planning conditions.
“Public engagement carried out to help shape our Air Quality Strategy also showed that traffic pollution is still the main source of concern for people in East Suffolk – and that improvements to active travel topped their list of actions going forward.”
Working with partners, East Suffolk is developing an air quality strategy for the next five years. This will shape our future priorities.
A number of measures designed to help reduce pollutant emissions or aid with our air quality plans have been undertaken in the last year. These have included:
• Opening of the Gull Wing Bridge, in Lowestoft, to alleviate congestion on local roads
• Five new electric capable replacement gantry cranes at the Port of Felixstowe
• 48 new electric Internal Movement Vehicles (IMVs) at the Port of Felixstowe
• 12 additional electric passenger cars and 13 small vans added to the Port of Felixstowe fleet
• Domestic burning education campaign during autumn/winter 2024
• Katch demand responsive transport scheme extension for a further year
• Suffolk Air Quality Network launched
• Production of the Suffolk Local Transport Plan 2025-2040
• £7.3 million Local Electric vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding granted to Plug in Suffolk for on-street charging provision.
• Production of an Active Travel Schools Kit by Suffolk County Council
• 25% discount on annual taxi licence fees for hybrid or electric vehicles
• Suffolk Solar Together - 182 solar PV installations within East Suffolk
In June, East Suffolk Council received £2.8million from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, run by Salix on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, towards a £4.8m plan to upgrade and decarbonise three of the district’s leisure centres – helping the Council take a major step towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
Work with the Suffolk Air Quality Network will continue throughout 2025, as well as with Suffolk County Council’s Public Health and Communities Team on its Air Quality Strategy, and with stakeholders on a new cycling and walking system for Woodbridge and active travel scheme for Grange Road, in Felixstowe.
East Suffolk Council’s Air Quality webpage contains various resources, information and guidance on reducing emissions and tackling pollution, while East Suffolk Greenprint Forum provides a link between public and voluntary organisations and community groups, to share skills and experiences, as well as assisting local environmental action.