Under the Environment Act 1995, Cornwall Council monitors air quality against the Air Quality Objectives. If air pollution is higher than national objectives, we have to:
- designate an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and produce an Action Plan to improve air quality in the area.
- revoke an AQMA when air pollution reduces to a concentration which is consistently below the national objective.
Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) have been declared for:
- the Camborne, Pool, and Redruth (CPR) area in 2005,
- Bodmin in 2008,
- Tideford in 2011,
- Gunnislake and St Austell in March 2014,
- Truro in July 2015,
- Grampound in July 2017
- Launceston in February 2018.
AQMAs have been revoked for:
- Camelford revoked 11th November 2024 (declared in January 2017)
For more information please read the Camelford revocation report
Cornwall Council have recently consulted on the Clean Air for Cornwall Strategy.
The Cornwall Air Quality Action Plan sits alongside the strategy. The Action Plan details the actions set out to improve air quality across the county and in each of Air Quality Managment Areas.