We adopted an air quality management area in 2003 because nitrogen dioxide in the air exceeded the national annual target objective level. The primary source of nitrogen dioxide is from vehicle exhausts.
Air quality has improved in recent years. Measured levels of nitrogen dioxide have been below the national objective level at our monitoring locations for more than five years. This improvement is partly due to newer vehicles and stricter emission standards. It is also due to measures we and our partners introduced in our Air Quality Action Plan.
Under advice from Defra, we will be revoking the management area later in 2024. Before doing this, we and South Cambridgeshire District Council have developed an Air Quality Strategy. It lays out our commitments to continue to improve air quality across the region.
Greater Cambridge is a major growth area. Large-scale development and population increase is expected in the next 10 to 20 years. Our strategy seeks to strike a balance between supporting productivity, economy and prosperity while continuing to deliver improvements in air quality. Cleaner air will lead to positive health outcomes for residents and visitors to the area.
