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England is lagging behind Scotland on tackling air quality, RTPI warns

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has called on English policymakers to learn from the example that is being set north of the border when it comes to establishing a clear strategy in improving air quality.

The planning body says England has “no coherent strategy to integrate land use planning with transport planning” that the Scottish Government’s strategy for cleaner air is much clearer on the role that planning can play in shaping sustainable settlement patterns and promoting a shift away from the car towards public and active transport.

In its response to the government’s Clean Air Strategy consultation the RTPI criticises the recently published National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for missing the opportunity to tighten the need for local authorities to make transport decisions that support sustainable patterns of settlement growth.

With the NPPF’s emphasis on meet housing numbers, developments are likely to be created in remote locations where land is cheaper, but the RTPI said the lack of an integrated approach to transport and land use planning means that many will not be supported by the infrastructure needed for sustainable modes of travel.

In its official response to the government, the institute says: “The Clean Air Strategy should be clear on the need for a more integrated approach to transport and land use planning in order to tackle air pollution over the long-term, while providing other wider benefits. Local and combined authorities must have the resources and technical capacity to develop integrated spatial maps of land use, transport infrastructure and air quality, and to shape the location and form of development and direct investment in mitigation to that development is at least air quality neutral.”

Planners continue by insisting ministers should at least aim for new developments to be “air quality neutral”. To achieve this, local and combined authorities must have the resources and technical capacity to develop integrated spatial maps of land use, transport infrastructure and air quality, to shape the location and form of development, and to make investment in mitigation.

The RTPI is urging local authorities to maximise the use of existing powers and the planning process to reduce air pollution and mitigate negative impacts of development. These include allocating sites in local plans to those which can reduce car usage and support modal shift to public/active travel; using planning obligations to secure financial contributions from developers to improve air quality; and preventing developments on grounds of negative impact on air quality. 

Massimo Fedeli, operations director of Allow Independent Road-Testing (AIR), said: “Town and city authorities in England have a lot of work to do in improving air quality standards across the country. Authorities and town planners need a unified approach to address pollution risks in towns and cities, and this could be achieved by joining an aligned members’ scheme, such as the AIR initiative. The AIR project also provides access to independent road testing data, which is crucial for urban planners to evaluate and measure exactly how to tackle air pollution in their area.”

If you would like to contact Ryan Tute about this, or any other story, please email rtute@infrastructure-intelligence.com.