Training sessions show importance of air quality

23 April 2018

Cheshire East Council held two events aimed at helping staff and councillors to better understand how air quality can impact on the authority’s work in different service areas.

As air quality has been the subject of significant interest recently, the training sessions were organised to provide a broad overview of how it is relevant in the borough and specifically the impact it can have on the planning process.

The training provided attendees the opportunity to:

• Understand why air quality is an area of national interest;
• Get a local perspective on air quality;
• Understand where air quality fits in within the National Planning Policy Framework;
• Be aware of when local or European assessments apply; and
• Learn about recent legal cases, where air quality was a decisive factor.

Councillor Ainsley Arnold, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for housing, planning and regeneration, said: “I’m glad that we were able to put on these training sessions and that they were attended by such a broad range of professional interests within our authority.

“The sessions have allowed us to look objectively at how we deal with challenges around air quality and to look at the policies and strategies that other organisations have implemented.

“Although air quality is better in Cheshire East than many places, it is still an important issue and the training staff and members engaged with this week has provided food for thought about what more we can do.”