New air quality monitors installed in Gascoyne Way

New real-time air quality monitors have been installed in Gascoyne Way as East Herts Council works to improve air quality in the town.

The monitors will provide information on the polluting gases and particulates in the atmosphere, enabling air pollution levels to be continuously measured.

The Airscan monitors have been funded by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) as part of the council's Breathe Clean campaign, which is helping schools and businesses develop travel plans to minimise reliance on cars for shorter trips.

Much of Hertford town centre is a designation Air Quality Management Area (AQMA). An Air Quality Management Area is declared where local air quality is unlikely to meet the Government's national air quality objectives.

Councillor Tim Hoskin, Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability said: "The council has listened to residents' requests for real-time air quality information and has acted by installing real-time monitors for the first time in Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth and by adding a second monitor in Hertford. The information reported by these monitors will afford residents the opportunity to plan their journeys more effectively and more sustainably."

"Addressing air pollution around Hockerill Junction, Gascoyne Way and London Road has been an issue on the council’s radar for some time. Unfortunately, the pollution levels remain a significant problem today. The readings from these monitors will provide vital data, which will aid us in measuring the impact of future interventions."

The Council's 2023-29 Air Quality Action Plan outlines its ambitions to improve air quality across the district, with measures including the development of a local walking and cycling infrastructure plan, collaboration with Hertfordshire County Council in exploring how to minimise congestion and the promotion of public transport use, as well as electric car uptake.

Whilst air pollution levels at monitoring sites in Hertford remain below the National Air Quality Objective of 40 µg/m3, the council cannot remove the AQMA dseintaion whilst there isn’t a consistent record of air pollution below 36 µg/m3.

Further work and potentially behaviour change is required to at least stabilise the pollution levels at four of the sites (Gascoyne Way, Old Cross, Castle Street and Hertingfordbury Road) before then reversing the current deterioration and achieving levels below 36 µg/m3 . Additionally, further work is needed at one site (West Street) to reduce the pollution level to be below 36 µg/m3 . All five sites show a deterioration in air quality from 2021 to 2022.