'Significant' drop in city air pollution last year
LDRSThere was a "significant" drop in air pollution in Newcastle last year, according to a new report.
Data from the city council showed a 9% fall in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels from 2023 to 2024.
Local authority bosses hailed the results as proof that its Clean Air Zone (CAZ) tolls, introduced in January 2023, were having a "positive impact".
Under the CAZ, which was imposed in response to illegal levels of air pollution in certain hotspots, some high-polluting vehicles are charged daily tolls of up to £50 for driving through Newcastle city centre.
Despite the improvement, civic centre officials said the CAZ would remain in force as there were still two areas where emissions exceed legal limits.
The worst spot in the city for air pollution remains close to the Corner House junction on the Coast Road, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
A pollution sensor located at the junction of Stephenson Road and Jesmond Park West recorded an average NO2 level of 64.5 micrograms per cubic metre of air (μg/m3) in 2024, well above the legal maximum of 40.
However, there was a slight improvement there compared to the 67.1 μg/m3 recorded in the previous 12 months, and the situation was notably better than in both 2022 and 2021, when average readings were over 92 μg/m3.
Council bosses have repeatedly argued the NO2 levels that people are exposed to in the residential parts of Stephenson Road, rather than at the roadside, are actually lower.
Juna Sathian, the Labour-led city council's cabinet member for climate and transport, said she was delighted with the reduction in pollution levels.
"As more people upgrade from older, more polluting vehicles to cleaner models with reduced emissions we hope to see even more improvements in the future," she said.
"These latest figures show that we are making important positive steps forward in achieving this but there are still further improvements needed."