Issue - meetings

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Barry)

Report of the Head of Health and Strategic Housing

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Barry)

The Head of Health and Strategic Housing submitted a report seeking approval for a draft Carnforth Air Quality Action Plan prepared under statutory duty (Environment Act 1995).

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

The council has a statutory duty to prepare the Carnforth air quality action plan.

Option 1 is to approve the draft Carnforth air quality action plan for statutory and public consultation.  This will result in lead partners being assigned responsibility for coordinating each of the six actions.  The council would lead on actions numbered 1 (relocate heavy goods vehicle depots) and 4 (review car parking provision in Carnforth).  It is envisaged that these actions would be implemented through the research and policy measures built into the Local Development Framework process.  Lancashire County Council would lead on the other four actions.  No capital costs or adverse implications have been identified.  Members would have further opportunities to influence the content of the draft action plan during the consultation process.  Cabinet would be asked to consider and approve a finalised action plan in the near future.

Option 2 is to require any revisions or further work that members might require at this stage to be undertaken before a draft Carnforth air quality action plan is approved for public consultation.  This would be likely to incur a delay before a revised action plan was presented to a future Cabinet meeting. 

Option 3 is not to approve the Carnforth air quality action plan for public consultation.  This would soon lead to an unlawful position (Environment Act 1995) because it is a statutory duty for the council to prepare an air quality action plan where an air quality management area has been declared and confirmed to be necessary through further assessment. 

The officer preferred option is Option 1.

It was moved by Councillor Barry and seconded by Councillor Blamire:-

“That the recommendation, as set out in the report, be approved.”

Members then voted:-

Resolved:

(7 Members (Councillors Archer, Ashworth, Barry, Blamire, Bryning, Fletcher and Langhorn) voted in favour, 1 Member (Councillor Mace) voted against and 1 Member (Councillor Thomas) abstained)

(1)        That the draft Carnforth Air Quality Action Plan be approved for statutory and public consultation.

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

Corporate Director (Finance and Performance)

Head of Health and Strategic Housing

Reasons for making the decision:

The decision maintains statutory compliance through continued preparation of the Carnforth air quality action plan.