Air Quality Stage 1 Review
What the Council did under Stage 1 of the the Air Quality Strategy
The first stage review of the National Air Quality Strategy involves identifying all the major sources of pollution within the borough. Work already carried out can be used to complete this task. The results from previous surveys and the monitoring outlined in the section above provides relevant information that can be used to identify areas that are likely to be exposed to possible breaches of the air quality standards.
Summary of the review & assessment
Stage 1 of the review and assessment requires the identification of the main sources of air pollution. The following section entitled Pollution Specific Assessment details each pollutant and their main source. A summary of the major sources is useful to demonstrate the main emission sources.
One source of information that is useful to complete the first stage of the review is from the London Research Centre. The LRC completed an emissions inventory for London in 1998. This inventory looks at the main sources of pollution across the whole of London. An estimate of the total emissions from all sources within a 1 kilometre square area has been produced for the whole of London.
The inventory details the estimated amount of pollution emitted, not the actual levels of pollution found in the air. The areas where high emissions are estimated are those where possible breaches of the air quality standards may occur in 2005. These areas are where it will be necessary to progress to Stage 2 of the review and assessment.
Industrial Sources
The Environment Act 1990 Part 1 identifies industrial activity as a source of pollution. Pollution from individual processes is referred to as point sources. The Environment Act 1990 differentiates between large scale and small scale processes. Large scale processes such as power stations are classified as Part A processes. These processes are regulated by the Environment Agency. Smaller processes that emit pollution to air only are referred to as Part B processes and are regulated by their local authority.
There are no Part A processes in Hammersmith & Fulham and the planning section of the Environment Department of the Council has confirmed that no plans exist for the construction of any Part A process in the borough between now and 2005. As of September 1998 there are 13 Part B processes in the borough. However the impact of a given Part B process in terms of air quality is only experienced over a small area and is subject to local control. The inability to predict new processes does not prejudice this review and assessment. It is a requirement of Stage 1 of the review and assessment to identify all Part B processes. Table 4 gives their location and the type of process in operation.
Table 4 List of current Part B Processes within the borough (as of 3rd September 1998)
| PROCESS ADDRESS | PROCESS TYPE |
| Mitre Coachworks, 8 Mitre Way, W10 6AU | Respraying of road vehicles |
| Adel Rootstein, 9 Beaumont Avenue W14 9LP | Coating of plastic |
| S & J Motors, 65 Tasso Road, W6 8LY | Respraying of road vehicles |
| General Cemetery, Harrow Road NW10 | Crematoria |
| Triangle Garage, 2 Bishops Road, SW6 7AB | Respraying of road vehicles |
| Owen Conway and Sons, 6 Stamford Brook Road, W6 | Respraying of road vehicles |
| Waldeck Body Shop, 239/241 Trussley Road, W6 | Respraying of road vehicles |
| Edward Barber and Co, 28 Salter Street, NW10 | Foundry |
| Ready Mix Concrete, Townmead Road, SW6 2QL | Blending, packing and use of cement |
| Holland Park Ltd, 39/40 Hythe Road, NW10 | Respraying of road vehicles |
| London Motor Company, 108/109 Ravenscourt Arches, W6 | Waste oil burner |
| Yamaha Service Centre, 1A Grimston Road, SW6 | Waste oil burner |
| Prestolite Electric Ltd, Larden Road, W3 7RP | Coating of metals |
Road Traffic
In most urban areas road traffic is the major source of pollution. The London Research Centre's emission inventory shows the contribution from traffic for certain pollutants on a London wide basis (see Table 2). As Hammersmith and Fulham is an inner London borough it is assumed that these figures are representative of the contribution of road traffic in the borough.
The National Air Quality Strategy identifies NO2 and PM10 as the two pollutants most likely to exceed the standards up to and beyond 2005 at certain locations. In an urban environment, nearly 80% of the emission of NO2 and PM10 are as a result of traffic movements. Current volumes of traffic and any increase in the amount of traffic on the roads combined with traffic congestion would indicate likely exceedences of the standards after 2005 for these two pollutants.
Traffic growth is predicted to grow nationally by 7 to 17%, according to the National Road Traffic Forecasts (Great Britain 1997) based on 1995 levels. The figure for Hammersmith and Fulham ranges between 23 and 61% up to the year 2031. Demand for road space is already high with congestion occurring at a number of junctions during periods of peak demand.
Under stage 1 of the review and assessment it is necessary to identify all roads within a local authority that have traffic flows in excess of 25,000 and 50,000. This highlights areas where traffic flows are such that they become a significant source of pollution. No data currently exists on average speeds for traffic within the borough. However congestion does occur at certain junctions which would cause the speed to drop below 10 miles per hour.
Future development within the borough may also influence future traffic flows and demand for road space. Developments that encourage the use of public transport and deter the use of private vehicles may benefit the environment. National Road Traffic Forecasts predict a net increase in the amount of vehicles on the road well into the next century. As part of the review it is necessary to highlight any developments that may result in greater demand for road space. As the definition of such development is imprecise all development planned in the near future that cover an area greater than 2 hectares have been identified in Table 5.
Table 5 UDP Sites
| Site | Area (hectares) |
| Empress State Building | 4.7 |
| British Gas Riverside/Imperial Road | 11 |
| White City Centre | 16.5 |
| Old Oak Sidings | 2.5 |
| Marks & Spencer, Wood Lane | 3.62 |
| Old Oak Common Sidings | 33 |
| Chelsea Football Ground | 4.5 |
| Hammersmith Embankment | 4.5 |
Pollution & Human Health
Defining human exposure to air pollution is not a straightforward task. Pollution measurements usually come from static measuring devices. Most people however are fairly mobile throughout the course of a day. The NAQS is concerned with the effects on human health as a result of exposure to outdoor pollution. The exposure of an individual over the period of a day is a complex relationship between the concentration of a pollutant and the activity of the individual. Also, exposure is normally in the form of a combination of several pollutants. People are exposed to a cocktail of pollutants during an average day and the synergistic effect of exposure is still not clearly understood.
Exposure to airborne pollution raises two areas of concern. First, is the effect of short term exposure with acute effects to individuals. Episodes of elevated concentrations have been associated with increased hospital admissions and premature mortality. Secondly there is concern about long term exposure to lower levels of concentrations, which may influence the prevalence of a range of respiratory and other diseases. The effects of individual pollutants are described in the section below.
Page last updated: 11/05/2010
