Air quality

Managing air quality in Lutterworth

If air quality falls below required standards, we will declare an Air Quality Management Area and plan for improvements. An Air Quality Management Area has been declared in Lutterworth Town Centre since 2001.

Once an Air Quality Management Area is declared we must publish an action plan addressing the issues.  View the Air Quality Action Plan 2013 (PDF, 1.4MB). As the problems in Lutterworth are related to traffic issues, the action plan has been incorporated into Leicestershire County Council's Local Transport Plan.

Lutterworth Air Quality Management Area (Revoked) 

In 2001 it was established that the annual mean air quality objective for nitrogen dioxide in Lutterworth town centre was not being achieved and we declared it an Air Quality Management Area.

A detailed assessment in 2010 (PDF, 128KB) found that areas outside of the declared Air Quality Management Area were exceeding the annual mean air quality objective for nitrogen dioxide. The Air Quality Management Area needed to be updated to include land to south along High Street to include the junction with Regent Street, Stoney Hollow and Rugby Road . 

A further assessment was carried out in 2012 (PDF, 2MB). This found that the Air Quality Management Area needed further changes to extend its area along Rugby Road to the junction with Riverside. The assessment also included a study which found that:

• Annual average daily traffic  is approximately 15,000 vehicle movements
• HGVs make up approximately 6% of the annual average daily traffic and contribute 40 to 45% of nitrogen dioxide
• Cars make up approximately 85% of annual average daily traffic and contribute 45 to 50% of nitrogen dioxide
• There is a correlation between the total number of hourly vehicle movements and hourly average nitrogen dioxide concentration
• There is no correlation between hourly HGV movements and hourly average nitrogen dioxide concentration

The 2024 Air Quality Annual Status Report found that Nitrogen Dioxide concrentrations within the AQMA have been complaint with the Annual Mean Air quality Standard for Nitrogen Dioxide for an extended period of time and that the AQMA should be revoked.  This was approved by the council cabinet commitee on June 10 2024 and the AQMA was revoked by an order of the council on 25th June 2024

View Air Quality Management Area  orders for the Lutterworth Air Quality Management Area.