Local Air Quality in Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute Council · 18 March 2026
Back to Planning, Protective Services and Licensing Committee — 18 March 2026 and its agenda
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL Planning, Protective Services And Licensing Committee Development and Economic Growth 18 March 2026 LOCAL AIR QUALITY IN ARGYLL AND BUTE 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1. The quality of natural environment of Argyll and Bute has major influences on its economy, tourism, and on the health and wellbeing of residents and visitors to the area. 1.2. This paper presents the 2025 Annual Progress Report for Local Air Quality in Argyll and Bute, which fulfils the Council’s statutory duties under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. The environmental health team have carried out the monitoring work over the course of the year to produce the Progress Report, which has been formally accepted by the Scottish Government. 1.3. The Progress Report concludes that: a. Local air quality in Argyll and Bute continues to be good with all indicator parameters below prescribed limits. There is no need for any designated Local Air Quality Management Areas in Argyll and Bute. b. Monitoring shows that nitrogen dioxide levels are below air quality objectives at all monitoring locations. c. Three key measures for improving air quality, to be incorporated in the environmental health service work plan for 2026/27, are: o Reviewing consultation processes for Air Quality issues within Development Management o Convening of a multi–Service Strategic Local Air Quality Working group. o Developing and publishing a Local Air Quality Strategy Recommendation: Members are asked to consider the Local Air Quality Annual Progress Report 2025 which confirms that local air quality in Argyll and Bute is good and agree the following actions: - • Establish a multi service air quality working group to consider the Scottish Government’s new proposals. • Review of arrangements for consultation on air quality impacts within the Planning Process. • Develop a new Council Air Quality Strategy.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL Planning, Protective Services And Licensing Committee Development and Economic Growth 18 March 2026 LOCAL AIR QUALITY IN ARGYLL AND BUTE 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1. The quality of the natural environment of Argyll and Bute has major influences on its economy, tourism, and on the health and wellbeing of residents and visitors to the area. The environment is a key theme in many of the Council’s Corporate Outcomes. 2.2. This paper presents the 2025 Local Air Quality Annual Progress Report of Argyll and Bute Council, developed by the Council’s Environmental Health service, which meets the Council’s statutory duties under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. This work concludes that air quality standards in Argyll and Bute are good and below the prescribed levels for all national parameters. 2.3. Air pollutants may now be largely invisible but their gases and particulates can be harmful to human health and the natural environment. Air pollution disproportionately affects the most vulnerable members of society, including the very young, the elderly and people with existing medical conditions. Measures to reduce air pollution aim to protect human health and eliminate health inequalities. In addition, they improve the quality of places and habitats in the wider environment. In 2018, Health Protection Scotland (HPS) provided an estimate of approximately 1,700 attributable (premature) deaths in Scotland annually for particulates. This figure rose to 2,000 as a reasonable estimate for combined pollutants. 2.4. Whilst the Council does not face any specific challenges in relation to meeting the current air quality objectives, it is anticipated that a new air quality framework will be published within the next year which will introduce an exposure reduction approach across the population. Whilst details of how this will be achieved are still to be consulted on it is likely that this approach will promote a wider corporate response to air quality improvement. In anticipation of this the following key measures have been proposed: 2.4.1. establishment of a Multi-Service Working Group to develop and publish an Air Quality Strategy. This provides a corporate framework to consider the Scottish Government proposals and their associated benefits for Public Health and Climate. 2.4.2. review arrangements for consultation on air quality impacts within the Planning process to ensure that the critical role of protecting air quality through redevelopment is maintained and promoted. 2.4.3. the development and publication of an Air Quality Strategy as a key role of the convened Multi-Service Working Group.
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3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 Members are asked to consider the Local Air Quality Annual Progress Report 2025 which confirms that local air quality in Argyll and Bute is good and agree the following actions: - a) Establish a multi service air quality working group to consider the Scottish Government’s new proposals. b) Review of arrangements for consultation on air quality impacts within the Planning Process. c) Develop a new Council Air Quality Strategy. 4.0 DETAIL AIR QUALITY IN ARGYLL AND BUTE 4.1 Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 provides local authorities with a statutory duty to assess local air quality and support the Government’s duties and aims to improve health. The Act set out the regulatory framework requiring Local Authorities to meet the air quality objectives for eight priority pollutants and report annually on the measures undertaken to do so. The pollutants are nitrogen dioxide, particulates (PM10, PM2.5), sulphur dioxide, Benzene, 1,3 Butadiene, carbon monoxide, and lead. 4.2 Previous air quality reports have concluded that monitoring is not required for any of the pollutants other than nitrogen dioxide. Previous monitoring programs for fine particulates and carbon monoxide ceased, as they demonstrated that concentrations were well below national prescribed levels. The Councils’ air quality monitoring program, carried out by environmental health, focusses on nitrogen oxides (predominately from vehicular emissions). 4.3 The Annual Progress Report 2025, attached for Members’ information, concludes that monitoring for local air quality in Argyll and Bute continues to show a falling trend well below the current objective for nitrogen dioxide. 4.4 Key findings to note were: • Routine monitoring confirms that diffusion tube results for Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are within air quality objectives. This monitoring was undertaken at 4 fixed sites where the highest traffic levels correspond to sensitive public exposure in urban centers of Oban and Helensburgh. • This monitoring shows that local air quality in Argyll and Bute continues to be good with nitrogen dioxide levels falling by an average of 51% over the last 10 years. • Redevelopment and expansion across Argyll and Bute continue to include potential to impact on air quality, reinforcing the need to ensure adequate assessment and where necessary, mitigation.
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4.5 In this year’s reporting the Council was required to identify three key measures for improving air quality. Environmental health service identified measures considered essential to ensuring a broader formal engagement between Council Services for improving air quality and providing a local framework to deliver Government expectations. In summary these are: • Reviewing consultation processes for Air Quality issues within Development Management • Convening of a multi–Service Strategic Local Air Quality Working group • Developing and publishing a Local Air Quality Strategy CLIMATE CHANGE AND CLEAN AIR FOR SCOTLAND 4.6 The impacts of Climate change can exacerbate health problems associated with poor air quality and pollution. Air quality and climate change are intrinsically linked, both arising from broadly the same sources. Measures that seek to improve air quality can also have a positive impact on the climate. 4.7 The Government’s strategy Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 – Towards a Better Place for Everyone (CAFS2), introduced in July 2021 is due to be reviewed and updated in 2026, The Cleaner Air for Scotland initiative is Scotland's air quality strategy setting out how the Government and its partner organisations propose to further reduce air pollution to protect human health and fulfil Scotland’s legal responsibilities. 5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 The Council’s Local Air Quality Annual Progress Report for 2025 confirms that national air quality objectives are being met and that air quality in Argyll and Bute remains good. There is no requirement for the Council to proceed to any Detailed Assessment or to declare any Local Air Quality Management Areas (LAQMAs). 5.2 Monitoring work will continue to allow further assessment of air quality standards in Argyll and Bute. This will enable the Council to meet its statutory requirement to produce an annual report on air quality to the Scottish Government, and, where necessary, identify actions where there are exceedances of national levels. 5.3 The Council’s environmental health service identified three key measures in the Local Air Quality Annual Progress Report for 2025. These measures are considered essential to ensuring a broader formal engagement between Council Services for improving air quality and providing a local framework to deliver Government expectations. In summary these are: o Reviewing consultation processes for Air Quality issues within Development Management o Convening of a multi–Service Strategic Local Air Quality Working group o Developing and publishing a Local Air Quality Strategy.
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6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy: Consistent with Corporate Outcomes BO12 (Public Health and Health Protection) and BO13 (our built environment). 6.2 Financial None; Monitoring work incorporated within existing environmental health operating budget. 6.3 Legal Statutory duty under Part IV of Environment Protection Act, and progress Report has been submitted to Scottish Government. 6.4. HR 6.5. Customer service None. None. 6.6. Risk None. 6.7. Climate change Attributes to climate change outcomes. 6.8. Fairer Scotland Duty: 6.9. Equalities 6.10. Consumer duty 6.11. Island Communities None. Clean air is essential for our communities and the future of our economy. None. None. 6.12 Children’s Rights and Wellbeing None. Kirsty Flanagan Executive Director with responsibility for Regulatory Services Policy Lead for Planning and Regulatory Services: Councillor Gordon Blair Date: 24 February 2026 For further information contact: Alan Morrison, Regulatory Services Manager (Alan.Morrison@argyll-bute.gov.uk: 01546604292)/Anthony Carson, Environmental Health Officer (anthony.carson@argyll-bute.gov.uk) APPENDICES Appendix 1: 2025 Air Quality Annual Progress Report for Argyll and Bute Council