Town councillors will be asked to consider a draft Environment Strategy and Plan and to agree a period of one month’s consultation for Councillors and the wider community to submit comments on the councils plan a final report will be brought to town Council in July 2024 to approve.
Penrith Town Council will seek to actively influence, lobby and campaign to achieve a set of actions the council have outlined including, Traffic Limitations and the development of Clean Air Zones on those roads causing the greatest concern and exceeding World Health Organisation safe levels. Implementation of traffic calming measures and reduced speed limits to reduce vehicle emissions.
Creation of more car-free zones where pedestrianisation and clean air are the priority.
Consider the implementation of Low-Emission Zones (LEZs) where only vehicles meeting certain emission standards are allowed to enter
Consider closing roads, or creating low emissions zones for roads adjacent to schools to protect children, who are most vulnerable to air pollution.
Clean Air Zones (CAZ) are defined geographical areas where certain types of vehicles are required to comply with emissions standards or pay a charge or a fine. In the UK, there are currently four classes of CAZ, ranging from only high-pollution, commercial vehicles, to all passenger vehicles.
There are 15 clean-air zones in the UK: Portsmouth, London, Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, Sheffield, York, Bradford, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee.
The town council established the Environment Task and Finish Group in July 2023 having like many councils decelerated a climate emergency in 2019.
The town council has said “The establishment of the task and finish group presented an opportunity to investigate, discuss and consider options and measures to reduce and mitigate against environmental matters of concern.”
The councils task and finish group has been meeting in private meetings over the past year, focusing its work on themes including air pollution, air quality and odour, light pollution, waste and recycling and rivers and watercourses to create the town council Environment Strategy and Plan.
The draft plan and policy created by the town council Environment Task and Finish Group also calls for the council to encourage residents to support and vote for policies and local and national politicians that prioritise environmental protection and air quality improvement.
The town council draft plan also proposes work to reduce light pollution and make Penrith a Dark Skies town.
Including the town council Advocate for the implementation of local measures that regulate outdoor lighting with measures that may include specifying the types of lighting fixtures allowed, limiting the amount of light emitted, and requiring shielding to direct light downward.
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