A committee comprising of local residents and representatives from Caerphilly County Borough Council has met to discuss future steps that can be taken to improve the air quality in Hafodyrynys.
The steering group was joined by representatives of neighbouring councils and Public Health Wales earlier this week as they took initial steps to produce an Air Quality Action Plan.
An action plan is required for spaces which are designated as Air Quality Management Areas, which the Crumlin junction of the Hafodyrynys Road was, in November 2013, following a detailed assessment of air quality monitoring, which began in 2009.
The plan must also contain key actions aimed at reducing levels of nitrogen dioxide within the area.
Improvements to the A467/A472 Crumlin junction were undertaken to address peak time congestion, as well as to improve journey time reliability for public transport.
The recently completed scheme is likely to achieve benefits in terms of air quality.
In discussing the action plan, residents were able to express their concerns and offer suggestions to help rectify the poor air quality situation. Those suggestions will be considered for inclusion in the final plan.
Cabinet Member and Chair of the new steering group, Cllr Nigel George, said: “We of course acknowledge that while some improvement works have been carried out in the area, there is still much more that needs to be done. That’s why we were pleased to come together with local residents and our partners to explore initial ideas.
“This is very much the start of the process, but I would emphasise that with the support of the community and our partners, we remain committed to doing all we can to help improve the air quality situation.”
Councillors also agreed to support a Notice of Motion at a council meeting on Tuesday July 19, put forward by Cllr Andrew Lewis which read: “I call on CCBC to take all remedial action, urgently to improve air quality on Hafodyrynys Road.”
It is likely the Air Quality Action Plan for Hafodyrynys will be in draft form by November, when community members and other interested parties will be invited to participate in a consultation on the draft contents.
The revised plan will then be submitted to Welsh Government for consideration in March 2017.
For more information on what’s being done to improve air quality in Caerphilly county borough, visit www.caerphilly.gov.uk/Services/Environmental-health-and-pollution/Pollution/Air-quality.