Air Quality

7.145 Traffic congestion has to date led to the designation of three AQMAs in Chichester;
other likely areas must be urgently investigated and if any become apparent at any stage of the Local Plan Review or Examination, these must be added. .
CDC Policy maker thinking must always be conscious of the alarming 4.1% rate of mortality in the area attributable to pollution, and of Sussex-air's map of pollution in and around Chichester, and in particular along the five junctions on the A27 south of the City with three large LA schools there. The Central C of E Junior School is within the Orchard Street AQMA.
The Free School is close to the A27 Whyke junction and Bishop Luffa School and Parklands Primary School are close to the proposed Via Ravenna/Sherborne Road junction. Any further decrease in air quality could well affect these three schools.
With Air Quality increasing in profile with Government and rising awareness with the public, it is disappointing to see how light the Local Plan Review is on air quality. The PBA report is overwhelming with its reams of computer printouts-any improvements in air quality during the plan period are difficult to extract.
In any case, these are marginal and so heavily qualified in its Appendix G, Assumptions and Limitations, Paras 3.2.22, 3.2.23, and 3.2.24, as to call into question the usefulness of the Air Quality section of the PBA report:
'uncertainty' appears three times in Para 3.2.22;
3,2,23 notes that, whereas NO and NO2 concentrations should have fallen significantly, these have remained constant or increased;
3.2.24 refers to a fourth uncertainty-in this case regarding future vehicle emissions. (This is not surprising when the Government's 'Road to Zero' report is largely aspirational and lacking in concrete measures. It was therefore heavily criticised by the Commons Select Committee.).
It is therefore astonishing to see in 10.2.10 on page 128 that PBA nevertheless confidently states that "Overall, it is concluded that there are no projected significant air quality constraints to the the Chichester Local Plan Review 2016-2035".
A sensitivity analysis by PBA might have narrowed some of the uncertainties-or accentuated these-who knows?
As already indicated in other representations, behavioural change in travel choices will only make a marginal difference to any of the traffic outputs, including air quality
Chichester's record on Air Quality is not good, but the hands of CDC are tied and improvements will be marginal at best, for as long as the area is denied a proper bypass separating through and local traffic.This will take much of the diesel powered HGVs and LGVs away from local junctions. and reduce congestion, the root cause of poor air quality .
CDC must continue with WSCC to support vigorously its policy preference for a northern bypass, if it is serious about improving air quality.

7.144
We support the need to continue increased air quality monitoring. CDC does have in its powers to affect this by careful planning of houses, parking and commercial development. The proposed new relief road exiting onto the Fishbourne roundabout is unlikely to improve air quality.