Despite being voted the Best Place to Live in Britain, Winchester still struggles to consistently meet national air quality standards in the city centre. The Council is keen to tackle this issue because it understands that good air quality is important to residents, and that businesses want to operate in a clean and healthy commercial environment.
Winchester City Council is therefore currently seeking views on the potential impacts of its proposed measures to improve air quality in Winchester as set down in its draft new air quality action plan . This focuses on measures which the City Council can deliver and which are known will lead to a reduction in the emissions of pollutants on city centre roads by 2020.
To take part in the consultation visit the Council’s web page at https://winchester.citizenspace.com/
The core measures already agreed by the Council for implementation are:
- Build on existing car parking pricing differentiation strategy to encourage the use of car parks outside the city centre
- Introduce new parking charges /incentives to reduce diesel parking in central car parks in favour of low emission vehiclesReviewing and enforcing restrictions on delivery vehicles by time of day
- Delivery, if viable, of an additional Park and Ride site in North Winchester
- Ensuring that all Council-owned, leased, contracted or influenced vehicles that enter the Air Quality Management Area meet recognised low emission standards by 2020
- Ensuring that all other heavy duty vehicles entering the Air Quality Management Area meet recognised low emission standards by 2020
- Adopting Air Quality Supplementary Planning Guidance to encourage minimal impacts to air quality through an effective planning process
- Implementing a behavioural change campaign intended to encourage the transition to low emissions vehicles and a transition to public transport, walking or cycling where possible
- Participating in the County Council’s development of a City of Winchester Movement Strategy to explore other options such as further pedestrianisation of the city centre and/or changes to the existing one way system
