2026 Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR)

In fulfilment of Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 Local Air Quality Management, as amended by the Environment Act 2021

Date: June, 2026

 

Information	City of York Council Details
Local Authority Officer	Andy Gillah
Department	Public Protection
Address	City of York Council, Public Protection Hazel Court Eco Depot, James Street, York, YO10 3DS
Telephone	(01904) 551525
E-mail	public.protection@york.gov.uk
Report Reference Number	ASR2026
Date	June 2026

Local Responsibilities and Commitment

This ASR was prepared by the Public Protection Department of City of York Council with the support and agreement of the following officers and departments: Transport Planning, Highways, Planning, Climate Change, Fleet Services, Business Support and Public Health.

This ASR has been approved by Cllr Jenny Kent (Executive Member for Environment and Climate Emergency) and signed off by Peter Roderick, Director of Public Health and Dave Atkinson, Director of Environmental and Regulatory Services.

If you have any comments on this ASR please send them to Public Protection at:

Email: public.protection@york.gov.uk

Phone: 01904 551525

Write to: City of York Council, Public Protection (Air Quality), Hazel Court Eco Depot, James Street, York, YO10 3DS.

 

Executive Summary: Air Quality in Our Area

Air Quality in York

Breathing in polluted air affects our health and costs the NHS and our society billions of pounds each year. Air pollution is recognised as a contributing factor in the onset of heart disease and cancer and can cause a range of health impacts, including effects on lung function, exacerbation of asthma, increases in hospital admissions and mortality.

Air pollution particularly affects the most vulnerable in society, children, the elderly, and those with existing heart and lung conditions. Low-income communities are also disproportionately impacted by poor air quality, exacerbating health and social inequalities. 

Table ES 1 provides a brief explanation of the key pollutants relevant to Local Air Quality Management and the kind of activities they might arise from.

Table ES 1 - Description of Key Pollutants

Pollutant	Description
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)	Nitrogen dioxide is a gas which is generally emitted from high-temperature combustion processes such as road transport or energy generation.
Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)	Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is a corrosive gas which is predominantly produced from the combustion of coal or crude oil.
Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5)	Particulate matter is everything in the air that is not a gas. Particles can come from natural sources such as pollen, as well as human made sources such as smoke from fires, emissions from industry and dust from tyres and brakes. PM10 refers to particles under 10 micrometres. Fine particulate matter or PM2.5 are particles under 2.5 micrometres.

Through monitoring of air quality across the city, City of York Council (CYC) has previously identified some areas of the city centre, around the inner ring road, where long term annual average nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels are above health based objectives.  These areas have been incorporated into an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA).  Historically, AQMAs have also existed in Fulford (AQMA Order No.2) and on Salisbury Terrace (AQMA Order No.3).  These AQMAs were revoked in 2020 and 2017 respectively due to improvements in air quality in these areas of the city.  Current and historical AQMAs declared by CYC can be viewed at List of York AQMAs and are discussed in CYC’s previous Annual Status Reports.

CYC has a statutory duty to try to reduce NO₂ concentrations within the remaining city centre AQMA and additional obligations in relation to the protection of public health and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.  The main air pollutants of concern in York are NO₂ and particulate matter (PM).  Typically, transport sources are responsible for around 50-70% of the total NO₂ at any particular location in the city, although the exact amount varies according to proximity to roads and other emission sources. Road transport is also a source of PM emissions, although its contribution is less than half that of domestic burning of solid fuels in closed stoves and open fires.

In 2024, the health-based air quality objectives were met at all locations in York for the first time (except during the COVID-19 lockdowns when traffic emissions reduced due to home working and closure of non-essential retail). Monitoring in some areas of the city, such as around Gillygate and Bootham, showed that maximum annual mean levels of nitrogen dioxide improved by 27% in 2024 compared with 2023. The significant improvement in air quality was due to actions taken by the council, its partners and by residents, which included further electrification of buses and council fleet vehicles, policies that incentivised the uptake of more low-emission taxis, anti-idling initiatives encouraging people to turn off their engines when stationary or waiting in traffic, and improved electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.

The latest air pollution monitoring data and indicators for 2025, summarised in this report, indicate that reduced NO₂ concentrations in the AQMA have been sustained into 2025, with improvements seen in some areas, particularly with respect to the maximum concentrations of NO₂ recorded in key locations around the inner ring road. The highest concentration of NO₂ recorded at a location representative of long-term public exposure in 2025 was 29.9µg/m³ near the junction of Gillygate and Bootham (diffusion tube reference A1). This is well within the health-based objective of 40µg/m³ and reflects a further improvement since 2024 in both the Gillygate area and across the wider area of York, where maximum NO₂ concentrations of 32.4µg/m³ were monitored at a relevant location on Blossom Street.  Only one monitoring location (diffusion tube reference D51, located within the portico at York Railway Station) monitored a higher annual mean NO₂ concentration of 39.3µg/m³ in 2025 (also within the health-based objective). This specific monitoring location near the taxi rank within York Railway station has experienced considerable temporary increases in traffic and queuing throughout 2025 due to the ongoing Railway Station Frontage improvement works. This location is not a relevant location in terms of long-term public exposure.

Improvements in annual mean NO₂ monitored at roadside continuous monitoring sites were observed between 2024 and 2025 at Holgate Road (9.6% improvement), Gillygate (3.6% improvement) and Lawrence Street (7.8% improvement). In contrast, annual mean NO₂ concentrations increased between 2024 and 2025 at Fishergate (3.2% increase), Nunnery Lane (0.5% increase), Heworth Green (8.6% increase) and Fulford Road (2.1% increase). Annual mean background concentrations of NO₂ monitored at Bootham Park Hospital (City of York Council’s urban background monitoring site) also increased by 2.4% between 2024 and 2025.

Whilst concentrations of NO₂ monitored at continuous monitoring sites in 2025 are not uniformly lower than in 2024, the overall long-term trend (taking into account both continuous monitoring and diffusion tube monitoring) suggests a continued downward trajectory in pollution levels across most of York’s area since 2012. Ongoing air quality monitoring across the city is considered fundamental to understanding the magnitude of any changes due to increased levels of walking and cycling, changes in public transport use, vehicle electrification and other ongoing air quality improvement initiatives as set out in the council’s fourth Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP4).

With respect to the city centre AQMA, there were no monitoring locations that measured annual mean NO₂ concentrations of 40µg/m³ or above in 2025.  This is the second year since the pandemic (2020) that all CYC monitoring sites have achieved compliance with health-based objectives.

Maximum annual mean concentrations of NO₂ monitored at relevant locations across the current AQMA were 29.9µg/m³ (Gillygate / Bootham), 25.6µg/m³ (George Hudson St / Rougier St), 29.0µg/m³ (Holgate / Blossom Street), 26.8µg/m³ (Lawrence St), 26.0µg/m³ (Fishergate / Paragon St), 22.8µg/m³ (Prices Lane/Nunnery Lane) and 24.5µg/m³ (Coppergate).  With the exception of the Fishergate / Paragon Street area, where maximum concentrations increased by 2.5% between 2024 and 2025, maximum concentrations of NO₂ decreased in all other areas between 2024 and 2025 and ranged from 3.9% lower around Gillygate / Bootham to 10.6% lower around Holgate / Blossom Street.

In line with DEFRA’s LAQM guidance, before revoking an AQMA on the basis of measured pollutant concentrations, a local authority needs to be reasonably certain that any future exceedances of air quality objectives are unlikely. For this reason, it is expected that local authorities will need to consider measurements carried out over several years or more, national trends in emissions, as well as local factors that may affect the AQMA. Additionally, where NO₂ monitoring is undertaken using diffusion tubes, to allow for the uncertainty associated with the monitoring method, it is recommended that revocation of an AQMA should only be considered following three consecutive years of annual mean NO₂ concentrations being lower than 36µg/m³ (i.e. within 10% of the annual mean NO₂ objective). Whilst some areas of CYC’s AQMA have now experienced more than 3 consecutive years of concentrations being lower than 36µg/m³ this is not the case for all areas of the AQMA, notably the areas around Holgate/Blossom Street, Gillygate/Bootham and Rougier Street / George Hudson Street. CYC will keep the AQMA boundary under review, taking into account DEFRA’s guidelines. It may be appropriate to revoke some areas of the city centre AQMA in the near future.

Concentrations of NO₂ monitored in the former Fulford Road AQMA in 2025 continue to be well within the annual mean objective of 40µg/m³.  The highest recorded levels of NO₂ in this area were monitored on Fulford Main Street (Diffusion Tube C58) and were 23.1µg/m³.  This supports the decision to revoke the Fulford Road AQMA, as discussed in CYC’s previous Annual Status Reports and implemented in February 2020.

Concentrations of NO₂ monitored in the former Salisbury Terrace / Leeman Road AQMA in 2025 were also all well within the annual mean objective of 40µg/m³. The highest recorded levels of NO₂ in this area were monitored on Salisbury Terrace (Diffusion Tube 102, part of triplicate set reference 102/103/104) and were 19.4µg/m³.  This confirms that the decision to revoke this AQMA in December 2017 was appropriate.

In December 2018, the boundary of the city centre AQMA was extended to include the full length of Coppergate and the buildings either side of the road, due to monitored concentrations of NO₂ above the annual mean objective for this pollutant.  The highest annual mean concentrations of NO₂ monitored along Coppergate in 2025 was 24.5µg/m³ at site D56 (Three Tuns Pub, 12 Coppergate) which is below the annual mean objective for this pollutant.  This area of the AQMA has now experienced concentrations of NO₂ below 36µg/m³ for 3 consecutive years (2023, 2024 and 2025) with maximum concentrations monitored in 2025 being 9.9% lower than 2024.  This area of the city centre AQMA will be kept under review for a further 1-2 years to confirm that concentrations of NO₂ remain well within objective levels, prior to making any amendments to the AQMA boundary.

Revisions to the AQMA Order in 2018 also removed the reference to breaches of the short-term hourly objective along George Hudson Street / Rougier Street / Bridge Street based on monitoring results in this area. The latest 2025 monitoring results for this area of the city indicate that this short-term objective is still being met (all annual mean concentrations were less than 60µg/m³ which, in line with DEFRA guidance, suggests that an exceedance of the 1-hour mean objective is unlikely).

CYC monitored particulate (PM₁₀) at three sites (Bootham, Fishergate and Plantation Drive) and fine particulate (PM_2.5) at four sites (Bootham, Fishergate, Gillygate and Holgate Road) in 2025.  National health-based air quality objectives for PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 are currently met in York.  The highest annual mean levels of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 monitored in York during 2025 were 17.0µg/m³ (at Plantation Drive) and 9.6µg/m³ (at Gillygate) respectively.  Along with many areas of the UK, these concentrations are above World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for these pollutants, which have been strengthened to 15µg/m³ (PM₁₀) and 5µg/m³ (PM_2.5).  The maximum PM₁₀ concentration monitored in 2025 is below the maximum concentration of 17.8µg/m³ monitored in 2024 (also at Plantation Drive). The maximum PM_2.5 concentration monitored in 2025 is above the maximum concentration of 9.0µg/m³ monitored in 2024 (also at Gillygate). Whilst there is a general downward trend in particulate matter concentrations in York over the last 10+ years, recent years have displayed greater volatility.

Actions to Improve Air Quality

Whilst air quality has improved significantly in recent decades, there are some areas where local action is needed to protect people and the environment from the effects of air pollution.

CYC previously produced two Air Quality Action Plans (AQAPs) in 2004 and 2006.  These previous plans were primarily modal shift based plans, with emphasis on reducing vehicle trips and congestion across the city.

Despite the introduction of two early AQAPs, air quality in York continued to deteriorate between 2004 and 2010.  In response, York adopted an overarching Low Emission Strategy (LES) in 2012 and produced a third AQAP in 2015 to deliver this strategy. The LES was the first of its kind in the UK and set out a new approach to local air quality management based on reducing emissions from all sources, including tailpipe emissions from individual vehicles and encouraging the uptake of alternative fuels and low emission vehicle technologies.  The Low Emission Strategy has proved particularly effective at tackling emissions from essential service vehicles such as buses and taxis, which fall outside the scope of trip reduction based modal shift measures.

Modal shift and congestion reduction measures remain fundamental to the delivery of air quality improvement and emission reduction in York.  The primary local delivery programmes for these measures are the Local Transport Plan and the iTravel York programme.  Existing local programmes encourage the uptake of walking, cycling, and low emission public transport in the city.  They are supported by planning policies that ensure that sustainable travel solutions are embedded into all new developments in York.

CYC consulted on an updated, fourth Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP4) between November 2023 and February 2024. AQAP4 aims to reduce levels of air pollution in the city beyond health-based National Air Quality Objectives, thereby improving the health and quality of life of residents and visitors to York. Over three quarters (79%) of respondents agreed that the council should continue to reduce air pollution, with between 67% and 87% of respondents indicated support for all priority actions. AQAP4 was adopted by CYC’s Executive in July 2024. Updates on progress with measures in AQAP4 are provided in this report.

York has made notable progress in improving air quality throughout 2025, building on previous efforts and introducing new initiatives to tackle pollution and enhance public health. Key developments include:

·         Buses - In June 2025, CYC’s bus improvement programme celebrated a major milestone with the news that over one million £1 fares have been sold to young people since September 2023.  The fare subsidy aims to improve access to education, work and leisure. The scheme was launched as part of the city’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funded by central government; between 2023 and 2025 it was managed by CYC working with all six of York’s bus operators, and from 1 April 2025 the funds have been managed by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. Figures released in February 2025 showed that 2024 was the busiest year for York’s Park and Ride since 2017, with the total number of journeys exceeding 4.5 million, almost one million higher than in 2023.  CYC estimates that people boarding at Park and Ride sites in December resulted in over 61,700 cars not travelling into central York – equivalent to a line of traffic that would be long enough to reach central London.

·         Taxis – we continued to work with the taxi trade to encourage the transition to low emission taxis within the city, following the introduction of CYC’s new Taxi Licensing Policy in late 2024. In previous years, CYC has supported York licensed taxi drivers with purchase and operational costs for low or zero-emission vehicles using DEFRA grant funding.  At the end of December 2025, 45% of CYC licensed taxis were using low emission petrol hybrid or zero tailpipe emission electric vehicles. The full extent of CYC’s new Taxi Licensing Policy will come into effect in November 2027, when a 10-year age limit will apply to all licence renewals. CYC will continue to work with proprietors to encourage the uptake of low and zero emission vehicles compliant with new policy requirements.

·         CYC Fleet - the council fleet includes a diverse range of vehicles from small vans and cars to larger heavy goods vehicles. Throughout 2025, we continued our phased EV fleet replacement programme for vehicles under 3.5 tonnes. At the end of 2025, 77% of CYC’s operational car/van fleet were electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. We also progressed further upgrades of our heavy fleet vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, which now includes 2 electric refuse trucks and 6 electric pick-ups.

·         Consultation on extending CYC’s Smoke Control Area - In April 2025, residents and businesses were invited to share their views on a proposal to expand York’s existing Smoke Control Area to cover all areas within council boundaries.  The proposals would require all residents and businesses to take responsibility for the fuel they burn – to minimise smoke and air pollution and improve health and wellbeing for all residents.  CYC’s Executive approved this expansion in March 2026, that will come into operation later in 2026. Expansion of the Smoke Control Area will be supported by a communications campaign to ensure that residents are aware of the new legal requirements.  This work reinforces CYC’s existing DEFRA funded ‘Fuel for Thought’ campaign that aims to raise awareness of the links between burning solid fuels, pollution and health and provides advice on alternative, cleaner methods of heating.

·         National Clean Air Day / Clean Air Night - CYC supported National Clean Air Day (June 2025) and Clean Air Night (January 2025 and 2026), raising awareness of the links between pollution and health and encouraging continued action by York residents and businesses.

·         Gillygate trial – a year-long trial aimed at improving air quality on Gillygate progressed throughout 2025. The trial involved changes to traffic light sequencing to reduce standing traffic and emissions.  The project also aimed to create a safer environment for pedestrians, wheelchair users and cyclists. The trial's progress and impact on air quality and journey times were monitored throughout 2025. A full evaluation of the trial, including wider traffic impacts, is currently being undertaken, with a permanent change to the traffic light sequencing subject to further Executive Member approval.

·         Planning and Development – in line with CYC’s Low Emission Planning Guidance, we continued to ensure that emissions and air quality impacts from new developments were appropriately assessed and mitigated, exposure to poor air quality was reduced via good design practices and that new private trips were minimised via the provision of sustainable transport opportunities.

·         Pollution Forecasting Service – following the launch of CYC’s DEFRA funded pollution forecasting and alert service in 2024, the York Air Alert website  received 18,252 visits throughout 2025 (with over 25,000 visits since the launch). The service sends free air pollution alerts and health advice to those most likely to be affected by air pollution to help them minimise their exposure when pollution episodes are forecast.  Alerts give advanced warning of when air pollution is expected to be higher than usual, up to 3 days ahead. Subscribers can receive air quality alerts by text, email or voicemail for different areas of York, depending on where they live or work. In a subscriber survey undertaken in August 2025, 95% of respondents said that the service was useful to them, with 64% of respondents saying they took action to reduce either their own exposure, or the exposure of someone they provided care for.

·         Anti-idling initiatives - we continued to promote our ‘Kick the Habit’ anti-idling campaign on Clean Air Day and throughout 2025 and worked with partners to reduce the incidence of vehicle idling across the city. The campaign sets out to encourage people to think about the importance of clean air and the impact that this has on them, their health and those around them. Work in 2025 reinforces action in previous years, including the erection of permanent anti-idling signage in all CYC owned car parks, at most city centre bus stops, taxi ranks and at other key locations across the city.  In 2025, we issued further guidance to residents around vehicle idling during winter months and how to minimise idling while defrosting windscreens.

·         Carbon Negative Challenge Fund (CNCF) – CYC was awarded funding in 2025 through the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Carbon Negative Challenge Fund to undertake indoor air quality monitoring and health assessment studies to consider the real-world impacts of retrofit interventions progressed through the Warm Homes Grant (WHG).  The project will provide further insight into any unintended consequences of energy efficiency measures (such as reduced ventilation) that could exacerbate issues like damp and mould that disproportionately affect vulnerable residents. Funding will also be used to facilitate the replacement of gas cookers with electric alternatives, to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. It is anticipated that the project will create a replicable model for integrating indoor air quality monitoring into regional retrofit programmes, helping to de-risk future investment and build public confidence. It directly supports the region’s carbon negative goals by ensuring that retrofit measures deliver not only carbon savings but also safe, healthy living environments.

Complementary air quality initiatives delivered in 2025 through CYC’s transport and carbon reduction work programmes included:

·         York Walking Festival – our annual walking festival took place in September 2025 with a programme of ideas on how to explore the city on foot. The festival, organised by CYC’s iTravel team, aims to encourage active travel and reduce vehicle emissions.  Some exciting and interesting group walks took place during the festival, including the Royal Walk, Fungus Foray and Earth Walk.

·         City Centre Sustainable Transport Corridor - in April 2025, the council’s Executive Member for Transport agreed to publicly consult on a series of potential measures to improve bus reliability on the Rougier Street – Micklegate – Tower Street corridor (the ‘Rougier Route’). This consultation ran Dec 2025 – Jan 2026. The ‘Rougier Route’ is included within the CYC’s Local Transport Strategy and its accompanying Implementation Plan and is to be delivered using UK Government Bus Service Improvement Fund (BSIP) money. As well as better bus reliability, the project will improve infrastructure for pedestrians, wheelchair users, people who use mobility aids and cyclists. The expectation is that this could bring benefits far beyond the city centre with buses from villages and beyond the city boundaries also benefiting from the improvements on this route with quicker and more reliable journeys. An 18-month trial of the preferred option (prioritising buses, cycles and emergency services) is proposed for Summer 2026 under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), which will also act as Phase 2 of the consultation.

·         New films to communicate the new Local Transport Strategy (LTS) - In April 2025 CYC unveiled a new video starring 8 York residents, business owners and students and poses a question: "Wouldn’t it be nice to have less congestion in York?". The video highlights findings from the public consultation on the LTS. It also shows how £10 million of nationally allocated, ringfenced funding is being invested in resurfacing pavements, roads and pathways; lighting; real-time bus information; a barrier removal programme and delivering on our adopted Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).

·         Active City York Conference – In July 2025, CYC was proud to sponsor and host this year's Active Travel England’s annual active travel summit.  The event saw more than 400 active travel professionals welcomed to our city who gained insight and knowledge on how active travel is key to improving health, the environment and connecting communities.

·         Applefields School celebrate sustainable travel award – for the second consecutive year, Applefields School has earned the Modeshift STARS Regional SEND School of the Year title for Yorkshire and the Humber, for their work towards creating a culture of active and sustainable travel.  One of the school’s proudest achievements is the strong passion for cycling among its ambassadors, with the majority of Applefield’s satellite pupils eagerly taking part in the council’s Bikeability Cycle Training each year.

·         Funding for warmer homes – in March 2025, Council leaders confirmed that CYC will receive more than £3.4 million of funding thanks to 2 separate grants.  The funding, announced by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, is being used to upgrade around 280 homes over the next 3 years, to reduce carbon emissions and fuel poverty and improve the comfort and health of council homes. Further information is available at https://www.york.gov.uk/HomeEnergyEfficiency.

·         New micro-woods in York - the Council’s Green Streets team have teamed up with Groundwork to plant two new micro-woods at Burnholme and Rawcliffe, funded by UK Government to mark the coronation of King Charles III. Over 1,200 native trees were planted with the help of local volunteers from Clifton with Rawcliffe Primary, Lakeside Primary School, Applefields School and St Aelred’s Primary School.

·         Council endorses community forest across Yorkshire – in July 2025, The White Rose Forest (WRF) Strategic Plan (2025-50) was formally supported by Cllr Jenny Kent, Executive Member for the Environment and Climate Emergency. The plan sets out the vision for tree planting across West and North Yorkshire, adding to the Green Streets programme and the York Community Woodland, which have seen over 200,000 trees planted in York.

·         York’s climate leadership recognised - In June 2025, York was recognised on the global stage for its work to tackle climate change — retaining an ‘A’ rating from the independent CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) for a third time. The rating places York among only 112 cities worldwide to achieve the top grade, highlighting the city’s climate leadership and transparency. This accolade reflects the real, practical changes being delivered across the city. From lower energy bills to warmer homes, greener transport options to community energy partnerships, the council’s work is making an everyday difference to those living and working in the city. One of the city’s key tools in supporting that progress is YorEnergy, a free advice service helping people across York find ways to cut energy bills and reduce emissions.

·         Climate Commission Event - York Climate Commission's annual celebration event took place in January 2025. Representatives from organisations across the city discussed the future of climate action in York throughout 2025. 

·         Funding to cut community fuel bills through clean energy technology – in July 2025, York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith welcomed £700,000 in government funding (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) for the region to invest in cheaper, clean energy systems in community buildings. The grant comes via the new Mayoral Renewables Fund and will support installation of solar panels across a range of community facilities in York and North Yorkshire, including Yearsley Swimming Pool in York.

·         CYC cut city-wide emissions by 16% in 2 years – in November 2025, CYC published a City-Wide Emissions Report showing that there had been a been a 16 per cent reduction in city-wide carbon emissions since 2021, as the council acts to improve health and cut costs, whilst marking significant progress towards the city’s ambition to reach net zero by 2030. The figures published in the report showed emissions fell from 906,000 tonnes to 758,000 tonnes in 2023, mainly because of improvements in transport (like cleaner buses and more cycling) and better energy efficiency in buildings - that account for over 80 per cent of York’s emissions. The Council’s Climate Change Strategy (2022–2032) sets out a roadmap to net zero, with co-benefits including improved wellbeing, economic savings, and resilience against extreme weather events.

Conclusions and Priorities

Key findings and conclusions from this year’s Annual Status Report:

·         The annual mean objective for NO₂ (40µg/m³) was not exceeded anywhere within the current Air Quality Management Area (or indeed anywhere in York) in 2025. The highest annual mean concentration of NO₂ recorded in 2025 at a ‘relevant location’ was 29.9µg/m³ near the junction of Gillygate and Bootham (Diffusion Tube A1). The highest annual mean concentration of NO₂ recorded anywhere in York was 39.3µg/m³ (diffusion tube reference D51, located within the portico at York Railway Station).

·         Improvements in annual mean NO₂ monitored at roadside continuous monitoring sites were observed between 2024 and 2025 at Holgate Road (9.6% improvement), Gillygate (3.6% improvement) and Lawrence Street (7.8% improvement). In contrast, annual mean NO₂ concentrations increased between 2024 and 2025 at Fishergate (3.2% increase), Nunnery Lane (0.5% increase), Heworth Green (8.6% increase) and Fulford Road (2.1% increase). Annual mean background concentrations of NO₂ monitored at Bootham Park Hospital (City of York Council’s urban background monitoring site) also increased by 2.4% between 2024 and 2025. Whilst concentrations of NO₂ monitored at continuous monitoring sites in 2025 are not uniformly lower than in 2024, the overall long-term trend suggests a continued downward trajectory in pollution levels across much of York’s area since 2012.

·         With the exception of the Fishergate / Paragon Street area, where maximum annual mean concentrations of NO₂ increased by 2.5% between 2024 and 2025, maximum concentrations of NO₂ decreased in all other areas of the AQMA between 2024 and 2025 and ranged from 3.9% lower around Gillygate / Bootham in 2025, to 10.6% lower around Holgate / Blossom Street in 2025.

·         Concentrations of NO₂ monitored at the majority of locations in York’s AQMA over the last few years continue to suggest an ongoing trend of improving air quality.

·         Maximum concentrations of NO₂ monitored in the former Fulford Road and Salisbury Terrace / Leeman Road AQMAs (now revoked) in 2025 continue to be well below the annual mean objective.

·         The highest annual mean concentrations of NO₂ monitored along Coppergate in 2025 was 24.5µg/m³ at site D56 (Three Tuns Pub, 12 Coppergate) which is below the annual mean objective for this pollutant.  This area of the city centre AQMA will be kept under review for a further 1-2 years to confirm that concentrations of NO₂ remain well within objective levels, prior to making any amendments to the AQMA boundary.

·         Monitoring of NO₂ in 2025 has not indicated any potential breaches of the short-term hourly NO₂ objective in the city.

·         National health-based air quality objectives for PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 are currently met in York.  The highest annual mean levels of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 monitored in York during 2025 were 17.0µg/m³ and 9.6µg/m³ respectively. Whilst there is a general downward trend in particulate matter concentrations in York over the last 10+ years, concentrations over the last 5 years appear more variable at both roadside and background monitoring sites.

CYC’s updated AQAP4 (adopted July 2024) includes measures to further reduce nitrogen dioxide and particulates from all sources and supports and complements CYC’s economic strategy, Local Plan, Local Transport Plan/Strategy and Climate Change Strategy. 

City of York Council’s priorities for the coming year are:

·         Progress development of York’s transport policies – CYC’s Local Transport Strategy sets out a vision for a healthier, more sustainable and better-connected city. Our Transport Implementation Plan (2024-2026) details the measures that will enable is to turn that vision into a reality and build the foundations for our Movement and Place Plan, which will map out connected networks for all modes of travel. The Implementation Plan will be refreshed 2026, with a continued focus on reducing car dependency and improving sustainable travel. We will also explore opportunities to improve freight and logistics to ensure that that York’s businesses have efficient access for their supplies, goods and services, while at the same time reducing the impact of heavy lorries and light goods vehicles on carbon emissions, air pollution, safety and damage to heritage.

·         Continue to progress upgrades to bus services and infrastructure (including further electrification) – we will continue with our programme to electrify the bus network, aiming to completely electrify the network by 2028 (subject to funding). Having consulted with the public between Nov 2025 – Jan 2026 on a new bus priority route through central York, we aim to implement the ‘Rougier Route’ scheme for a trial 18-month period during Summer 2026 under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), which will also act as Phase 2 of the consultation, allowing minor amendments to be made to the project if needed. The project will not only improve bus service reliability and enhance air quality along the corridor but will provide safer walking and cycling routes into the heart of York city centre.

·         Sustainable Travel / Reducing car dependency – we will continue to focus staff resource on promoting sustainable transport, utilising grants and developer contributions where available to provide advice to residents, employers and developers about how to make to most of active modes and public transport. This will involve a programme of travel plans for individuals, schools, businesses and new developments.  We will support sustainable travel events including community walks, cycle rides and car-free days and will continue to investigate ‘micro-mobility’ schemes (with the intention of replacing the TEIR mobility scheme that ended in 2024).

·         Indoor air quality monitoring – we will progress indoor air quality monitoring and conduct health assessments to consider real-world impacts of retrofit interventions progressed through CYC’s Warm Homes Grant (WHG).  The project, funded through York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Carbon Negative Challenge Fund will provide further insight into any unintended consequences of energy efficiency measures that could exacerbate issues like damp and mould that disproportionately affect vulnerable residents.

·         Continue to address idling emissions – CYC will continue to investigate complaints of idling and raise awareness of the links between idling emissions and health in line with CYC’s existing ‘Kick the Habit’ anti-idling campaign.

·         Continue to reduce emissions from taxis through implementation of new Licensing Policy - The council's Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy was approved by Council on 21 November 2024 and came into force on 22 November 2024. The policy will introduce an age limit and minimum emission standard for York’s operational taxi fleet which will see a gradual change in the operational taxi fleet, as vehicle licenses are renewed and as vehicles become too old to operate in the city. CYC will continue to keep abreast of national grant opportunities for low emission taxis and provide advice to operators / drivers.

·         Reduce emissions from new development – we will continue to work with developers to ensure development related emissions are appropriately assessed and mitigated, exposure to poor air quality is reduced via good design practices and that new private trips are minimised via provision of opportunities for sustainable transport.  We will continue to encourage walking, cycling and low emission public transport use, which have co-benefits for health and wellbeing.

·         Street Trading – we will work towards implementing a formal Steet Trading Policy to replace and strengthen existing informal guidelines for street trading activities in the city. To further reduce emissions from vehicles or ancillary equipment associated with such activities, it is anticipated that the new policy will introduce new requirements around the use of generators and for any vehicles that are required to be kept running for the purpose of providing power in connection with the licensed street trading activity.

·         Expansion of strategic EV charging network – we will continue with our EV charging programme and actively monitor plug-in vehicle uptake in the city to ensure our charging network remains fit for purpose.  York has a developing network of electric vehicle charging points positioned in car parks, Park & Ride sites and at dedicated Hyper Hub charging sites.  CYC’s new EV Charging Strategy is being developed in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust and is due for publication in 2026. The EV strategy aligns with the broader Local Transport Strategy, with an updated Implementation Plan scheduled for publication in the second half of 2026.

·         Improving public awareness of air pollution – we will continue to raise awareness of local initiatives and campaigns aimed at improving local air quality such as our DEFRA funded air pollution forecasting and alert platform and our ‘Fuel for Thought’ and ‘Kick the Habit’ campaigns. We will seek to improve awareness of the links between air pollution and health impacts generally to support CYC’s ongoing LAQM and public health work.

·         Further controls to address fine particulate emissions – following public consultation and subsequent approval by CYC’s Executive, we will expand our Smoke Control Area to cover the whole of York area to improve air quality and health. We will continue to improve public awareness of the links between domestic solid fuel burning, particulate emissions and health impacts and take a proportionate approach to enforcement of Smoke Control Order contraventions, in line with our adopted Enforcement Policy.

Challenges faced by City of York Council:

·         The ability of current vehicle emission standards to deliver reductions in NO_x emissions, particularly the on-road performance of some Euro VI (and retrofitted) diesel vehicles. This extends to the remaining Euro VI diesel buses operating in the city.

·         Development related emissions through the cumulative impact of increased development in the city. CYC will endeavour to manage this through the application of local planning guidance, best practice emission mitigation measures and opportunities for sustainable transport. CYC’s Transport Strategy sets a target of 20% reduction in vehicle miles travelled by 2030, which will need to be supported by significant increases in walking, cycling and use of public transport across York. 

·         Addressing air pollution from domestic solid fuel burning, especially during winter months, may present challenges as people turn to solid fuels to heat their homes in response to the energy and cost of living crisis. This may be further exacerbated in certain areas where fuel poverty may be a factor in the burning of non-certified wood products / waste wood or other materials. CYC has aimed to tackle this issue over the last couple of years through it’s ‘Fuel for Thought’ educational campaign which supports people to use alternatives to burning wood if possible, and if not, to use smokeless fuels or approved stoves, with help and support available to understand how to do this.

·         Uncertainties with respect to future travel behaviour and challenges in achieving required modal shift targets to sustainable modes.

·         Continued unnecessary vehicle idling in the city

Despite longer term improvements seen in air quality across CYC’s area in recent years, the above factors are anticipated to remain challenges for CYC in the future.

How to get Involved

CYC consulted with the public and other key stakeholders on an updated Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP4) between November 2023 and February 2024. AQAP4 aims to reduce levels of air pollution in the city beyond health-based National Air Quality Objectives, thereby improving the health and quality of life of residents and visitors to York. AQAP4 was adopted by CYC’s Executive in July 2024. Updates on progress with measures in AQAP4 are provided in this report.

Further information about air quality and previous consultations can be obtained from the air quality pages of CYC’s main website.

Residents, businesses and other interested parties are encouraged to participate in future consultations relating to air quality.  These are advertised online at: City of York Council Consultations.

If you would like to see more done to improve air quality in your area, you can contact your local councillor or MP and share your concerns or ideas for improving air quality.

For more information on national campaigns to improve air quality you can visit the Global Action Plan website, the Client Earth website or the Friends of the Earth website.

City of York Council’s continuous air quality monitoring data can be viewed at Air Quality England. Pollution forecasts for York and advice about how to protect yourself from the impacts of poor air quality can be found at York Air Alert.

You can help to further improve air quality in York by:

·         Travelling sustainably and reducing private vehicle use, where possible. Walk and cycle those shorter trips and make the most of public transport and especially York’s zero emission buses.

·         If you own a car, consider using it less and the impact on the environment when the time comes to replace it.  There are a huge range of electric and hybrid vehicles available to suit a variety of lifestyles which can offer lower emissions and reduced fuel and tax costs.  CYC has an extensive public electric vehicle charging network across the city.

·         Supporting our Kick the Habit campaign Switching off your vehicle engine when parked up and waiting. This is especially important outside schools and homes where children and residents and present.

·         Being mindful of the rules for burning solid fuels if you live in a Smoke Control Area (SCA) in York. If you own a solid fuel burning appliance (e.g. wood burning stove), ensure it is regularly serviced and maintained in accordance the manufacturers guidelines.

·         Recycle wherever possible and consider options other than burning for disposing garden waste, such as composting. Bonfires can cause a smoke nuisance to neighbours, preventing them from enjoying their gardens or opening windows.

·         Consider low carbon options for domestic heating and energy efficiency upgrades. Find out about schemes the council currently has available on the council website.

 

 

Table of Contents

Local Responsibilities and Commitment i

Executive Summary: Air Quality in Our Area. ii

Air Quality in York. ii

Actions to Improve Air Quality. vi

Conclusions and Priorities. xiii

How to get Involved. xvii

1     Local Air Quality Management 1

2     Actions to Improve Air Quality. 2

2.1      Air Quality Management Areas. 2

2.2      Progress and Impact of Measures to address Air Quality in York. 4

2.3      PM_2.5 – Local Authority Approach to Reducing Emissions and/or Concentrations  31

3     Air Quality Monitoring Data and Comparison with Air Quality Objectives and National Compliance. 37

3.1      Summary of Monitoring Undertaken.. 37

3.1.1      Automatic Monitoring Sites. 37

3.1.2      Non-Automatic Monitoring Sites. 37

3.2      Individual Pollutants. 38

3.2.1      Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂) 38

3.2.2      Particulate Matter (PM₁₀) 41

3.2.3      Particulate Matter (PM_2.5) 42

3.3      Air Quality Indicators. 43

3.3.1      Council Plan Air Quality Indicators. 43

3.3.2      Local Transport Plan Air Quality Indicators. 46

Appendix A: Monitoring Results. 47

Appendix B: Full Monthly Diffusion Tube Results for 2025. 90

Appendix C: Supporting Technical Information / Air Quality Monitoring Data QA/QC.. 97

New or Changed Sources Identified Within York During 2025. 97

Additional Air Quality Works Undertaken by City of York Council During 2025. 97

QA/QC of Diffusion Tube Monitoring. 98

Diffusion Tube Annualisation. 98

Diffusion Tube Bias Adjustment Factors. 100

NO₂ Fall-off with Distance from the Road. 104

QA/QC of Automatic Monitoring. 104

PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 Monitoring Adjustment 105

Automatic Monitoring Annualisation. 105

NO₂ Fall-off with Distance from the Road. 106

Appendix D: Map(s) of Monitoring Locations and AQMAs. 107

Appendix E: Summary of Air Quality Objectives in England.. 113

Glossary of Terms. 114

References. 115

Figures

Figure A.1 – Trends in Annual Mean NO₂ Concentrations. 77

Figure A.2 – Trends in Number of NO₂ 1-Hour Means > 200µg/m³. 83

Figure A.3 – Trends in Annual Mean PM₁₀ Concentrations. 85

Figure A.4 – Trends in Number of 24-Hour Mean PM₁₀ Results > 50µg/m³. 87

Figure A.5 – Trends in Annual Mean PM_2.5 Concentrations. 89

Figure D.1 – Map of Non-Automatic Monitoring Site. 107

Figure D.2 – Map of Automatic Monitoring Sites in relation to AQMA.. 112

Tables

Table 2.1 – Declared Air Quality Management Areas. 3

Table 2.2 – Progress on Measures to Improve Air Quality. 14

Table A.1 – Details of Automatic Monitoring Sites. 47

Table A.2 – Details of Non-Automatic Monitoring Sites. 48

Table A.3 – Annual Mean NO₂ Monitoring Results: Automatic Monitoring (µg/m³) 63

Table A.4 – Annual Mean NO₂ Monitoring Results: Non-Automatic Monitoring (µg/m³) 65

Table A.5 – 1-Hour Mean NO₂ Monitoring Results, Number of 1-Hour Means > 200µg/m³. 82

Table A.6 – Annual Mean PM₁₀ Monitoring Results (µg/m³) 84

Table A.7 – 24-Hour Mean PM₁₀Monitoring Results, Number of PM₁₀ 24-Hour Means > 50µg/m³  86

Table A.8 – Annual Mean PM_2.5 Monitoring Results (µg/m³) 88

Table B.1 – NO₂ 2025 Diffusion Tube Results (µg/m³) 90

Table C.1  – Annualisation Summary (concentrations presented in µg/m³) 99

Table C.2 – Bias Adjustment Factor 103

Table C.3 – Local Bias Adjustment Calculation.. 103

Table C.4  – Automatic PM_2.5 Annualisation Summary (concentrations presented in µg/m³. 105

Table E.1 – Air Quality Objectives in England. 113

1      Local Air Quality Management

This report provides an overview of air quality in York during 2025. It fulfils the requirements of Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) as set out in Part IV of the Environment Act (1995), as amended by the Environment Act (2021), and the relevant Policy and Technical Guidance documents.

The LAQM process places an obligation on all local authorities to regularly review and assess air quality in their areas, and to determine whether or not the air quality objectives are likely to be achieved. Where an exceedance is considered likely the local authority must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and prepare an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) setting out the measures it intends to put in place in order to achieve and maintain the objectives and the dates by which each measure will be carried out. This Annual Status Report (ASR) is an annual requirement showing the strategies employed by City of York Council (CYC) to improve air quality and any progress that has been made.

The statutory air quality objectives applicable to LAQM in England are presented in Table E.1.

 

2      Actions to Improve Air Quality

2.1   Air Quality Management Areas

Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) are declared when there is an exceedance or likely exceedance of an air quality objective. After declaration, the authority should prepare an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) within 18 months. The AQAP should specify how air quality targets will be achieved and maintained and provide dates by which measures will be carried out.

A summary of AQMAs declared by City of York Council can be found in Table 2.1. The table presents a description of the AQMA that is currently designated within York. Appendix D: Map(s) of Monitoring Locations and AQMAs provides maps of the AQMA and also the air quality monitoring locations in relation to the AQMA. The air quality objective pertinent to the current AQMA designation is as follows:

·         NO₂ annual mean

 

Table 2.1 – Declared Air Quality Management Areas

AQMA Name	Date of Declaration	Pollutants and Air Quality Objectives	One Line Description	Is air quality in the AQMA influenced by roads controlled by Highways England?	Highest Concentration: Declaration	Highest Concentration: Current Year	Number of Years Compliant with Air Quality Objective	Name and Date of AQAP Publication	Web Link to AQAP
City Centre AQMA (AQMA Order No.5)	December 2018 (supersedes AQMA Order No. 4 declared Sept 2012	NO2 Annual Mean	Inner ring road and properties included within multiple areas of technical breach	NO	62.0	29.9	Compliance across AQMA demonstrated in 2 years (2024 and 2025) with compliance also demonstrated in 2020	AQAP4 published July 2024	Link to CYC's Fourth Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP4)

☒ City of York Council confirm the information on UK-Air regarding their AQMA(s) is up to date.

☒ City of York Council confirm that all current AQAPs have been submitted to Defra .

 

2.2   Progress and Impact of Measures to address Air Quality in York

Defra’s appraisal of last year’s ASR concluded supported the outlined measures to improve air quality across the city and accepted the conclusions reached for all sources and pollutants. Comments received by DEFRA in 2025 to inform the 2026 report were as follows:

·         It was requested that a statement is made regarding any changes to both the automatic and the diffusion tube monitoring network in 2025.  CYC can confirm that no changes to either network occurred in 2025.

·         It was requested that trends in air quality within and outside the AQMA were differentiated. Indicators CAN027, CAN028 and CAN038 in Section 3.3 provide an indication of trends in nitrogen dioxide inside the AQMA.  CAN028 shows the maximum NO₂ concentrations recorded at all areas across the AQMA where there are relevant locations. This indicator can therefore be used to look at compliance with the annual mean NO₂ objective, trends in NO₂ with time and the validity of the AQMA boundary year to year. Table A.1 shows which of CYC’s continuous monitoring sites are located within the AQMA and some additional labelling has a been added to the figures A.1-A.5 for clarity to distinguish sites inside/outside the AQMA. It was also recommended to also include trend figures with all diffusion tube locations within the AQMA listed separately to gain a better understanding whether compliance has been achieved or not; these have been included in Appendix A (Figures A.1a – A.1d).

·         It was recommended to report both the highest annual mean NO₂ concentration in the AQMA and the highest annual mean in general.  The highest annual mean in the AQMA was 29.9µg/m³ (diffusion tube reference A1, located near the junction of Gillygate and Bootham) and the highest annual mean in general was 39.3µg/m³ (diffusion tube reference D51, located within the portico at York Railway Station). These results are discussed in the report.

·         It was recommended to group results for triplicate sites together and only report one concentration.  This has been addressed in the tables and figures in this Annual Status report; individual triplicate diffusion tube results have not been reported.

·         It was recommended to distinguish between the number of diffusion tubes and the number of monitoring sites. While 231 diffusion tubes are deployed (excluding blank), there are eleven triplicate sites, therefore, there are 209 monitoring locations. This has been reported in this year’s Annual Status Report.

·         It was recommended to disregard results from diffusion tube monitoring sites where the annual data capture was less than 25%.  In 2025, this affected one tube (reference C53) which only captured 1 months’ worth of data. An annual mean has not therefore been calculated for this site, nor has this data been uploaded to the Diffusion Tube Data Entry System (DTDES) as part of the report submission to DEFRA. The monthly data has however been presented in table B.1 in this report for transparency.

·         CYC confirms that it has updated the distance to relevant exposure and distance to kerb values for the triplicate diffusion tube site reference 102/103/104 and these are now consistent between the three tubes.

·         CYC confirms that all concentrations are reported to 1 decimal place throughout this year’s report.

·         CYC confirms that it has stated in the report where annualisation is required for any automatic monitoring site data. For information, this was only required for PM_2.5 monitored at Holgate Road in 2025 due to a data capture figure of 74.5%.

·         It was recommended that the word ‘estimate’ is not used for concentrations that have been annualised.  This terminology has not been used in this year’s Annual Status Report.

CYC has taken forward a number of direct measures during the current reporting year of 2025 in pursuit of improving local air quality. Details of all measures completed, in progress or planned are set out in Table 2.2. Twenty nine (29) measures are included within Table 2.2, with the type of measure and the progress CYC have made during the reporting year of 2025 presented. Where there have been, or continue to be, barriers restricting the implementation of the measure, these are also presented within Table 2.2.

More detail on these measures can be found in their respective Action Plans – see Fourth Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP4).

Key completed measures are:

·         Bus service improvements - CYC has worked in partnership with bus operators to improve bus services across the city. Our work bringing Government funding to the city has enabled national bus company First Bus to set up one of its first net zero emission bus operations in the city. In June 2025, CYC’s bus improvement programme celebrated a major milestone with the news that over one million £1 fares have been sold to young people since September 2023.  The fare subsidy, launched as part of the city’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), aimed to improve access to education, work and leisure.

·         Reducing emissions from taxis – we continued to work with the taxi trade to encourage the transition to low emission taxis within the city, following the introduction of CYC’s new Taxi Licensing Policy in 2024. At the end of December 2025, 45% of CYC licensed taxis were using low emission petrol hybrid or zero tailpipe emission electric vehicles. The full extent of CYC’s new Taxi Licensing Policy will come into effect in November 2027, when a 10-year age limit will apply to all licence renewals.

·         Reduced CYC Fleet emissions – Throughout 2025, we continued our phased EV fleet replacement programme for vehicles under 3.5 tonnes. At the end of 2025, 77% of CYC’s operational car/van fleet were electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. We also progressed further upgrades of our heavy fleet vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, which now includes 2 electric refuse trucks and 6 electric pick-ups.

·         Expansion of Smoke Control Area – In April 2025, we consulted on a proposal to expand the existing Smoke Control Area to cover all areas with council boundaries. CYC’s Executive approved this expansion in March 2026, that will come into operation later in 2026.

·         National Clean Air Day / Clean Air Night - CYC supported National Clean Air Day (June 2025) and Clean Air Night (January 2025 and 2026), raising awareness of the links between pollution and health and encouraging continued action by York residents and businesses.

·         Gillygate trial – we completed a year-long trial aimed at improving air quality on Gillygate. The trial involved changes to traffic light sequencing to reduce standing traffic and emissions.  The project also aimed to create a safer environment for pedestrians, wheelchair users and cyclists. The trial's progress and impact on air quality and journey times were monitored throughout 2025. A full evaluation of the trial, including wider traffic impacts, is currently being undertaken, with a permanent change to the traffic light sequencing subject to further Executive Member approval.

·         Planning and Development – in line with CYC’s Low Emission Planning Guidance, we continued to ensure that emissions and air quality impacts from new developments were appropriately assessed and mitigated, exposure to poor air quality was reduced via good design practices and that new private trips were minimised via the provision of sustainable transport opportunities.

·         Pollution Forecasting Service – we continued to promote our DEFRA funded pollution forecasting and alert service (York Air Alert) throughout 2025, which received 18,252 visits (with over 25,000 visits since the launch). The service sends free air pollution alerts and health advice to those most likely to be affected by air pollution to help them minimise their exposure when pollution episodes are forecast.

·         Anti-idling initiatives - we continued to promote our ‘Kick the Habit’ anti-idling campaign on Clean Air Day and throughout 2025 and worked with partners to reduce the incidence of vehicle idling across the city.

·         Carbon Negative Challenge Fund (CNCF) – CYC was awarded funding in 2025 through the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Carbon Negative Challenge Fund to undertake indoor air quality monitoring and health assessment studies to consider the real-world impacts of retrofit interventions progressed through the Warm Homes Grant (WHG).  The project will provide further insight into any unintended consequences of energy efficiency measures (such as reduced ventilation) that could exacerbate issues like damp and mould that disproportionately affect vulnerable residents. Funding will also be used to facilitate the replacement of gas cookers with electric alternatives, to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions.

Complementary air quality initiatives delivered in 2025 through CYC’s transport and carbon reduction work programmes included:

·         York Walking Festival – our annual walking festival took place in September 2025 with a programme of ideas on how to explore the city on foot. The festival, organised by CYC’s iTravel team, aims to encourage active travel and reduce vehicle emissions. 

·         City Centre Sustainable Transport Corridor – CYC consulted on a series of potential measures to improve bus reliability on the Rougier Street – Micklegate – Tower Street corridor (the ‘Rougier Route’) between Dec 2025 and Jan 2026. The ‘Rougier Route’ is included within the CYC’s Local Transport Strategy and its accompanying Implementation Plan and is to be delivered using UK Government Bus Service Improvement Fund (BSIP) money. As well as better bus reliability, the project will improve infrastructure for pedestrians, wheelchair users, people who use mobility aids and cyclists.

·         New films to communicate the new Local Transport Strategy (LTS) - In April 2025 CYC unveiled a new video starring 8 York residents, business owners and students to highlight findings from the public consultation on the LTS. It also showed how £10 million of nationally allocated, ringfenced funding is being invested in resurfacing pavements, roads and pathways; lighting; real-time bus information; a barrier removal programme and delivering on our adopted Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).

·         Active City York conference – In July 2025, CYC was proud to sponsor and host this year's Active Travel England’s annual active travel summit, where more than 400 active travel professionals gained insight and knowledge on how active travel is key to improving health, the environment and connecting communities.

·         Applefields School celebrate sustainable travel award – for the second consecutive year, Applefields School has earned the Modeshift STARS Regional SEND School of the Year title for Yorkshire and the Humber, for their work towards creating a culture of active and sustainable travel. 

·         Funding for warmer homes – in March 2025, Council leaders confirmed that CYC will receive more than £3.4 million of funding that will be used to upgrade around 280 homes over the next 3 years, to reduce carbon emissions and fuel poverty and improve the comfort and health of council homes.

·         New micro-woods in York - the Council’s Green Streets team have teamed up with Groundwork to plant two new micro-woods of over 1,200 native trees at Burnholme and Rawcliffe, funded by UK Government to mark the coronation of King Charles III.

·         Council endorses community forest across Yorkshire – in July 2025, The White Rose Forest (WRF) Strategic Plan (2025-50) was formally supported by Cllr Jenny Kent, Executive Member for the Environment and Climate Emergency. The plan sets out the vision for tree planting across West and North Yorkshire, adding to the Green Streets programme and the York Community Woodland, which have already seen over 200,000 trees planted in York.

·         York’s climate leadership recognised - In June 2025, York was recognised on the global stage for its work to tackle climate change — retaining an ‘A’ rating from the independent CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) for a third time. This accolade reflects the real, practical changes being delivered across the city. From lower energy bills to warmer homes, greener transport options to community energy partnerships, the council’s work is making an everyday difference to those living and working in the city. One of the city’s key tools in supporting that progress is YorEnergy, a free advice service helping people across York find ways to cut energy bills and reduce emissions.

·         Climate Commission Event - York Climate Commission's annual celebration event took place in January 2025.  Representatives from organisations across the city discussed the future of climate action in York throughout 2025. 

·         Funding to cut community fuel bills through clean energy technology – in July 2025, York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith welcomed £700,000 in government funding (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) for the region to invest in cheaper, clean energy systems in community buildings. The grant will support installation of solar panels across a range of community facilities in York and North Yorkshire, including Yearsley Swimming Pool in York.

·         City of York Council cut city-wide emissions by 16% in 2 years – in November 2025, CYC published a City-Wide Emissions Report showing that there had been a been a 16 per cent reduction in city-wide carbon emissions since 2021, as the council acts to improve health and cut costs, whilst marking significant progress towards the city’s ambition to reach net zero by 2030. The figures published in the report showed emissions fell from 906,000 tonnes to 758,000 tonnes in 2023, mainly because of improvements in transport and better energy efficiency in buildings - that account for over 80 per cent of York’s emissions.

City of York Council’s priorities for the coming year and measures that we anticipate to progress are:

·         Progress development of York’s future transport policies – CYC’s Local Transport Strategy sets out a vision for a healthier, more sustainable and better-connected city. Our Transport Implementation Plan (2024-2026) details the measures that will enable is to turn that vision into a reality and build the foundations for our Movement and Place Plan, which will map out connected networks for all modes of travel. The Implementation Plan will be refreshed 2026, with a continued focus on reducing car dependency and improving sustainable travel. We will also explore opportunities to improve freight and logistics to ensure that that York’s businesses have efficient access for their supplies, goods and services, while at the same time reducing the impact of heavy lorries and light goods vehicles on carbon emissions, air pollution, safety and damage to heritage.

·         Continue to progress upgrades to bus services and infrastructure (including further electrification) – we will continue with our programme to electrify the bus network, aiming to completely electrify the network by 2028 (subject to funding). Having consulted with the public between Nov 2025 – Jan 2026 on a new bus priority route through central York, we aim to implement the ‘Rougier Route’ scheme for a trial 18-month period during Summer 2026 under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), which will also act as Phase 2 of the consultation, allowing minor amendments to be made to the project if needed. The project will not only improve bus service reliability and enhance air quality along the corridor but will provide safer walking and cycling routes into the heart of York city centre.

·         Sustainable Travel / Reducing car dependency – we will continue to focus staff resource on promoting sustainable transport, utilising grants and developer contributions where available to provide advice to residents, employers and developers about how to make to most of active modes and public transport. This will involve a programme of travel plans for individuals, schools, businesses and new developments.  We will support sustainable travel events including community walks, cycle rides and car-free days and will continue to investigate ‘micro-mobility’ schemes (with the intention of replacing the TEIR mobility scheme that ended in 2024).

·         Indoor air quality monitoring – we will progress indoor air quality monitoring and conduct health assessments to consider real-world impacts of retrofit interventions progressed through CYC’s Warm Homes Grant (WHG).  The project, funded through York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Carbon Negative Challenge Fund will provide further insight into any unintended consequences of energy efficiency measures that could exacerbate issues like damp and mould that disproportionately affect vulnerable residents.

·         Continue to address idling emissions – CYC will continue to investigate complaints of idling and raise awareness of the links between idling emissions and health in line with CYC’s existing ‘Kick the Habit’ anti-idling campaign.

·         Continue to reduce emissions from taxis through implementation of new Licensing Policy - The council's Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy was approved by Council on 21 November 2024 and came into force on 22 November 2024. The policy will introduce an age limit and minimum emission standard for York’s operational taxi fleet which will see a gradual change in the operational taxi fleet, as vehicle licenses are renewed and as vehicles become too old to operate in the city. CYC will continue to keep abreast of national grant opportunities for low emission taxis and provide advice to operators / drivers.

·         Reduce emissions from new development – we will continue to work with developers to ensure development related emissions are appropriately assessed and mitigated, exposure to poor air quality is reduced via good design practices and that new private trips are minimised via provision of opportunities for sustainable transport.  We will continue to encourage walking, cycling and low emission public transport use, which have co-benefits for health and wellbeing.

·         Street Trading – we will work towards implementing a formal Steet Trading Policy to replace and strengthen existing informal guidelines for street trading activities in the city. To further reduce emissions from vehicles or ancillary equipment associated with such activities, it is anticipated that the new policy will introduce new requirements around the use of generators and for any vehicles that are required to be kept running for the purpose of providing power in connection with the licensed street trading activity.

·         Expansion of strategic EV charging network – we will continue with our EV charging programme and actively monitor plug-in vehicle uptake in the city to ensure our charging network remains fit for purpose.  York has a developing network of electric vehicle charging points positioned in car parks, Park & Ride sites and at dedicated Hyper Hub charging sites.  CYC’s new EV Charging Strategy is being developed in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust and is due for publication in 2026. The EV strategy aligns with the broader Local Transport Strategy, with an updated Implementation Plan scheduled for publication in the second half of 2026.

·         Improving public awareness of air pollution – we will continue to raise awareness of local initiatives and campaigns aimed at improving local air quality such as our DEFRA funded air pollution forecasting and alert platform and our ‘Fuel for Thought’ and ‘Kick the Habit’ campaigns. We will seek to improve awareness of the links between air pollution and health impacts generally to support CYC’s ongoing LAQM and public health work.

·         Further controls to address fine particulate emissions – following public consultation and subsequent approval by CYC’s Executive, we will expand our Smoke Control Area to cover the whole of York area to improve air quality and health. We will continue to improve public awareness of the links between domestic solid fuel burning, particulate emissions and health impacts and take a proportionate approach to enforcement of Smoke Control Order contraventions, in line with our adopted Enforcement Policy.

City of York Council worked to implement these measures in partnership with the following stakeholders during 2025:

·         Departments across CYC including Public Health and Sustainable Transport

·         Residents of York

·         Local schools

·         York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

·         York Bus operators

·         York Taxi Drivers / Associations

·         Freight operators and local retailers

·         York Civic Trust (YCT)

·         University of York

The principal challenges and barriers to implementation that City of York Council anticipates facing are:

·         The ability of current vehicle emission standards to deliver reductions in NO_x emissions, particularly the on-road performance of some Euro VI (and retrofitted) diesel vehicles. This extends to the remaining Euro VI diesel buses operating in the city.

·         Development related emissions through the cumulative impact of increased development in the city. CYC will endeavour to manage this through the application of local planning guidance, best practice emission mitigation measures and opportunities for sustainable transport. CYC’s Transport Strategy sets a target of 20% reduction in vehicle miles travelled by 2030, which will need to be supported by significant increases in walking, cycling and use of public transport across York. 

·         Addressing air pollution from domestic solid fuel burning, especially during winter months, may present challenges as people turn to solid fuels to heat their homes in response to the energy and cost of living crisis. This may be further exacerbated in certain areas where fuel poverty may be a factor in the burning of non-certified wood products / waste wood or other materials. CYC has aimed to tackle this issue over the last couple of years through it’s ‘Fuel for Thought’ educational campaign which supports people to use alternatives to burning wood if possible, and if not, to use smokeless fuels or approved stoves, with help and support available to understand how to do this.

·         Uncertainties with respect to future travel behaviour and challenges in achieving required modal shift targets to sustainable modes.

·         Continued unnecessary vehicle idling in the city

Despite longer term improvements seen in air quality across CYC’s area in recent years, the above factors are anticipated to remain challenges for CYC in the future.

Progress on the following measures has been slower than expected:

·         Pilot micro-consolidation centre (AQAP4 Measure 1b) – CYC previously obtained funding from DEFRA to pilot a transhipment hub for the city, but this project has proved difficult to deliver to date due to withdrawal of the primary delivery partner at an advanced stage of the project and the ongoing challenge of attracting a new commercial partner.  CYC have not been able to progress the delivery hub pilot due to the lack of officer capacity throughout 2025 but we are actively seeking ways of delivering this project and are taking advice from other cities where successful similar pilots have been delivered in combination with commercial partners.  CYC is having ongoing discussions with DEFRA about this project.  Whilst we aim to progress this pilot in 2026, this is subject to a new delivery partner being found.  The pilot delivery hub will aim to maximise the efficiency of city centre deliveries, using means such as e-cargo cycles and EVs, thereby minimising the need for large vehicles to enter the city centre.

CYC anticipates that the measures stated above and in Table 2.2 will achieve compliance in all areas of the city centre AQMA (order No. 5).

 

Table 2.2 – Progress on Measures to Improve Air Quality

The estimated efficacy of measures in terms of ‘overall emission impact’ is colour coded from red (least impact) - amber - green (most impact).  Rows shaded in yellow will be published on UK-AIR

2.3   PM_2.5 – Local Authority Approach to Reducing Emissions and/or Concentrations

As detailed in Policy Guidance LAQM.PG22 (Chapter 8) and the Air Quality Strategy[1], local authorities are expected to work towards reducing emissions and/or concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5). There is clear evidence that PM_2.5 (particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres) has a significant impact on human health, including premature mortality, allergic reactions, and cardiovascular diseases.

The Public Health Outcomes Framework includes an indicator relating to the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate pollution.  This indicator enables Directors of Public Health to prioritise action on air quality in their local area to help reduce the health burden from air pollution.  Indicator D01 ‘Fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution’ is defined as the fraction of annual all-cause adult mortality attributable to particulate air pollution (measured as fine particulate matter, PM_2.5), expressed as the percentage of annual deaths from all causes in those aged 30+. 

It is estimated that long-term exposure to air pollution (specifically, PM_2.5) was a contributory factor to the cause of death in 4.5% of deaths in York in 2024 (latest data available at the time of writing).  This figure is less than the figure reported for the wider Yorkshire and Humber region in 2024 (5.2%) and less than the average figure reported for England in 2024 (5.3%).

It is widely accepted that fine particulate matter has a significant impact on both morbidity and mortality and diesel emissions have been classified as carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organisation).  There is particular concern about the ‘black carbon’ fraction of particulate matter due to its health impacts, and its strong ability to absorb light energy and increase global warming.  Black carbon emissions in urban environments arise predominantly from diesel transport, but are also a product of biomass combustion, used increasingly for energy production and space heating.

Emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) and man-made particulate must be reduced to meet the health based national air quality objectives in York and improve public health. 

To date CYC has produced two trip reduction / modal shift based Air Quality Action Plans (AQAPs) and in 2015 adopted a third Action Plan (AQAP3) focussing on reducing vehicle tailpipe emissions from the remaining vehicle fleet through the use of low emission technologies.  In 2024 CYC consulted on an updated Action Plan (AQAP4) that outlines the action CYC will take to further improve air quality in York to go beyond health-based National Air Quality Objectives in all areas and work towards meeting World Health Organisation (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines.  AQAP4 aims to reduce concentrations of air pollutants and exposure to air pollution, thereby improving the health and quality of life of residents and visitors to York.  AQAP4 recognises that there are no ‘safe’ limits for particulate emissions, particularly PM_2.5.  The maximum concentration of PM_2.5 monitored in York in 2025 was 9.6µg/m³ at the Gillygate roadside continuous monitoring site.

CYC is demonstrating a commitment to addressing PM_2.5 through measures in its current Air Quality Action Plan and wider associated strategies.  Some specific items related directly to reducing fine particulate emissions (and indeed related to reducing exposure to such emissions) are described below:

·         Exposure Reduction through the Planning Process [See AQAP4 measures 7a and 7b]

Air quality staff routinely comment on planning applications to ensure that new developments are designed in a way which minimises exposure to air pollution and further emission growth.  CYC’s Low Emission Planning approach requires developers to calculate the damage costs of the additional development emissions and to mitigate these using a range of sustainable transport and low emission vehicle measures.  Such measures must be considered reasonable and proportionate, relative to the damage costs associated with the development.  Pre-planning advice is often provided on locations for key exposure sites (e.g. housing, schools, sports facilities, medical facilities etc.) and the use of biomass heating systems is generally discouraged in urban areas and near sensitive receptors. CYC’s approach is in line with that specified in DEFRA’s Interim Planning Guidance for PM_2.5 Targets published in October 2024, which requires developers to consider mitigation measures to reduce exposure to pollutants.

·         Policy Led Exposure Reduction [Links to various AQAP4 measures]

CYC’s Environmental Protection team work alongside other council departments and input into key council policies that can impact on air quality, exposure reduction and health.  Examples of previous joint policies include the Local Transport Plan / Strategy, Local Plan, Climate Change Strategy, Low Emission Strategy, Air Quality Action Plan(s) and the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.  In 2019, CYC announced a Climate Emergency and have since set an ambition for CYC to reduce its carbon emissions to net zero by 2030.  CYC recognise the threat of climate change at both a global and local scale, and are committed to delivering bold, local climate action to deliver economic and social benefits, such as new green jobs, economic savings, market opportunities and much improved well-being for York residents.  Air quality improvement strategies in York complement the wider climate change/carbon reduction agenda and the two areas are well aligned to recognise synergies and prevent conflict.

·         Information Led Exposure Reduction [See AQAP4 measures 3a, 3b, 9a, 9b, 9c, 11c, 12b]

Acting as part of the Low Emission Partnership (alongside Bradford Metropolitan District Council and Lancaster City Council), CYC previously obtained DEFRA AQ Grant funding to develop a new Air Quality Knowledge Hub.  Focused on information exchange between local authority professionals, the Hub features a range of content areas related to air quality improvement measures that local authorities can adopt, as well as more specific practitioner advice notes that focus on various aspects of local air quality management, planning, monitoring and enforcement. The Hub, now adopted by DEFRA as a national resource, also includes a growing library of relevant case studies and a forum to facilitate discussion and information exchange.  Since taking over management of the Hub, DEFRA have also now added a dedicated resource area for hosting communication materials arising from Air Quality Grant funded Projects and a new ‘Collaboration Map’, designed to make it easier for local authorities to identify and contact other authorities who are implementing similar air quality measures.

CYC undertakes promotional work in relation to the impact of vehicle idling (especially as part of Clean Air Day) focussed on raising awareness of the links between idling emissions, air quality and health impacts.

CYC was awarded DEFRA Air Quality Grant funding to improve public awareness of domestic solid fuel burning practices, particulate emissions and associated health impacts.  We undertook research via an online survey and hosted a number of focus groups with the local community to inform the creative route for the ‘Fuel for Thought’ campaign, which was initially launched in November 2023 and will be used for ongoing seasonal campaign work around solid fuel burning. A full evaluation of this campaign was provided to DEFRA in September 2024 and campaign materials have most recently been used to support national Clean Air Night in January 2026 and proposals to expand CYC’s Smoke Control Area to cover the whole of York.

CYC was also awarded DEFRA funding to develop an online air pollution forecasting and notification service to allow residents and visitors to York to access information that allows them to minimise their own exposure when pollution episodes are forecast.  The York Air Alert service is of particular benefit to anyone who suffers from health conditions exacerbated by poor air quality. The service, launched in July 2024, provides a 3-day forecast of air pollution with 8 zones of York.  The service is free to subscribe to and provides notifications via email, text and voicemail to users. A full evaluation of this platform was provided to DEFRA in December 2025.  The platform has received on average approximately 900 unique visitors per month since the launch in July 2024.

In addition, CYC provides information locally about air quality via dedicated air quality webpages and social media, including information about air quality and health, low emission vehicles and charging infrastructure and air quality improvement policies and measures. CYC also provides information about current air quality levels, including PM_2.5 across the city via the Air Quality England portal, which includes a daily Air Quality Index for the city.

·         Low Emission Vehicle Upgrades including buses, taxis and CYC fleet [See AQAP4 measures 2a, 2b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 10b]

Following the introduction of the UK’s first and only ‘voluntary’ Clean Air Zone (CAZ) for buses in 2020/21, CYC has worked in partnership with bus operators to introduce further zero emission electric buses to the York fleet, significantly reducing carbon, NO_x and particulate emissions across the city. Our work bringing Government funding to the city has enabled national bus company First Bus to set up one of its first net zero emission bus operations in the city. The York depot is one of the first outside London to be fully electric, and the first in Yorkshire, and £10.2m funding of the £23m project was secured by CYC from the Department for Transport ZEBRA scheme. The depot has seen emissions reduce by 90% with the total fleet of 86 all-electric buses saving around 5,000 tonnes of CO₂ a year. The current phase of CYC’s bus electrification programme involves nearly all of York’s operators, which include small local companies as well as larger national operators and will cover less frequent services and those which are urban/rural in character. 

York has previously pioneered a taxi grant scheme aimed at encouraging taxi drivers to move away from diesel/petrol to petrol hybrid and fully electric taxis.  We also adopted a new Taxi Licensing Policy in October 2024 that required vehicles to meet stricter emission standards to help improve air quality across the city. Through the taxi incentive scheme and iterative changes to Taxi Licensing Policy over a number of years, the number of low emission (fully electric or electric hybrid) taxis in the York fleet has been increased to approximately 45% (figure correct as of end December 2025).  Traditional petrol hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars produce significantly lower tailpipe emissions than diesel equivalents.

Following electrical infrastructure upgrades at the council’s Hazel Court ECO depot site, we continued our phased EV fleet replacement programme for vehicles under 3.5 tonnes throughout 2025.  By January 2026, 77% of CYC’s operational car/van fleet were zero (tailpipe) emission capable vehicles, thereby reducing emissions associated with the council’s operations.

·         Review scope of Clean Air Zone [AQAP4 measures 1c, 2c, 4c]

The existing Clean Air Zone (CAZ) for buses in the city centre was launched on 31^st January 2020.  Buses making 5 or more entrances to the CAZ per day are now required to be low emission (Euro VI diesel or electric).  Low / zero emission buses will reduce the amount of fine particulate (as well as NO_x) emitted in the city.  Measures in AQAP4 commit to reviewing the scope of the existing CAZ to consider including freight and taxis and extending the CAZ for buses to York Central.

·         Encourage the uptake of low and zero emission vehicles [AQAP4 measures 6, 8]

CYC has previously hosted low emission vehicle events for the public to showcase a variety of electric cars and bikes. CYC also manage an extensive public electric vehicle charging network, consisting of ‘fast’, ‘rapid’ and ‘ultra-rapid’ charge points, to facilitate the uptake of electric vehicles in the city. An updated ‘Public EV Charging Strategy’ is currently being developed and is due for publication in 2026.  CYC also currently offer a residents ‘low emission parking discount’ for owners of low emission vehicles.

·         Clean Air Act / Smoke Control Areas [AQAP4 measure 11b]

Under the requirements of the Clean Air Act, certain areas of York have been designated Smoke Control Areas (SCAs), where emissions of smoke from chimneys of buildings are prohibited.  CYC continue to enforce existing smoke control areas to reduce fine particulate emissions and nuisance.  In 2024, we developed a new Enforcement Protocol for civil penalties for smoke emissions within Smoke Control Areas (under the Clean Air Act 1993, as amended by the Environment Act 2021). In 2025 we issued 32 warning letters following smoke complaints (but were not required to issue any financial penalties). CYC also undertakes seasonal promotion of the rules around SCAs and issued advice and guidance to residents on the use of appropriate fuels and maintenance of appliances in line with the Government’s national ‘Burn Better’ campaign.  This promotional work accompanies compliance checks across retailers within CYC’s area to ensure that all solid fuels being sold are certified as ‘Ready to Burn’ in line with the Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020.  As mentioned above, CYC has also previously launched a DEFRA funded campaign specifically aimed at improving public awareness of domestic solid fuel burning practices, particulate emissions and associated health impacts. 

·         Reducing freight emissions [AQAP4 measures 1a, 1b, 1c]

CYC’s Local Transport Strategy Implementation Plan outlines medium term commitments to create an environment where emissions, noise and road wear and tear from freight vehicles is as low as possible, with operators using electric or other low pollution vehicles. Various measures to tackle freight emissions are proposed as part of AQAP4.

Throughout 2025, CYC’s Director of Public Health and colleagues in the Public Health team have been actively involved in delivery of air quality improvement measures and council communications around the impacts of poor air quality and health.  CYC also maintain contact within the sustainability team at the York and Scarborough NHS Trust and have previously worked with them to promote sustainable travel and raise awareness of National Clean Air Day.

 

3      Air Quality Monitoring Data and Comparison with Air Quality Objectives and National Compliance

This section sets out the monitoring undertaken within 2025 by City of York Council (CYC)  and how it compares with the relevant air quality objectives. In addition, monitoring results are presented for a five-year period between 2021 and 2025 to allow monitoring trends to be identified and discussed.

3.1   Summary of Monitoring Undertaken

3.1.1    Automatic Monitoring Sites

CYC undertook automatic (continuous) monitoring at 9 sites during 2005. Table A.1 in Appendix A shows the details of the automatic monitoring sites. NB. Local authorities do not have to report annually on the following pollutants: 1,3 butadiene, benzene, carbon monoxide and lead, unless local circumstances indicate there is a problem. The Air Quality England page presents automatic monitoring results for CYC’s area, with automatic monitoring results also available through the UK-Air website.

Maps showing the location of the monitoring sites are provided in Appendix D. Further details on how the monitors are calibrated and how the data has been adjusted are included in Appendix C.

There have been no significant changes to CYC’s overall automatic monitoring strategy (in terms of monitoring locations or pollutants) in the last 12 months.

3.1.2    Non-Automatic Monitoring Sites

CYC undertook non-automatic (i.e. passive) monitoring of NO₂ at 209 sites during 2025. There are 100 diffusion tube sites (including 2 triplicate sites) within the existing AQMA and 109 tube sites outside (including 9 triplicate sites), with 1 blank tube. It should be noted that data capture at diffusion tube reference C53 was insufficient to calculate an annual mean for 2025[2]. Table A.2 in Appendix A presents the details of the non-automatic sites.

Maps showing the location of the monitoring sites are provided on CYC’s website (turn on the ‘AQ Monitoring’ layer, under ‘Planning, Building and Environment’) and in Appendix D. Further details on Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) for the diffusion tubes, including bias adjustments and any other adjustments applied (e.g. annualisation and/or distance correction), are included in Appendix C.

3.2   Individual Pollutants

The air quality monitoring results presented in this section are, where relevant, adjusted for bias, annualisation (where the annual mean data capture is below 75% and greater than 25%), and distance correction. Further details on adjustments are provided in Appendix C.

3.2.1    Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂)

Table A.3 and Table A.4 in Appendix A compare the ratified and adjusted monitored NO₂ annual mean concentrations for the past five years with the air quality objective of 40µg/m³. Note that the concentration data presented represents the concentration at the location of the monitoring site, following the application of bias adjustment and annualisation, as required (i.e. the values are exclusive of any consideration to fall-off with distance adjustment).

For diffusion tubes, the full 2025 dataset of monthly mean values is provided in Appendix B. Note that the concentration data presented in Table B.1 includes distance corrected values, only where relevant.

Table A.5 in Appendix A compares the ratified continuous monitored NO₂ hourly mean concentrations for the past five years with the air quality objective of 200µg/m³, not to be exceeded more than 18 times per year.

The highest concentration of NO₂ recorded at a location representative of long-term public exposure in 2025 was 29.9µg/m³ near the junction of Gillygate and Bootham (diffusion tube reference A1).  This contrasts with 2024, where maximum NO₂ concentrations of 32.4µg/m³ were monitored on Blossom Street. Only one monitoring location (diffusion tube reference D51, located within the portico at York Railway Station) monitored a higher annual mean NO₂ concentration of 39.3µg/m³ in 2025. This specific monitoring location near the taxi rank within York Railway station has experienced considerable temporary increases in traffic and queuing throughout 2025 due to the ongoing Railway Station Frontage improvement works.

Improvements in annual mean NO₂ monitored at roadside continuous monitoring sites were observed between 2024 and 2025 at Holgate Road (9.6% improvement), Gillygate (3.6% improvement) and Lawrence Street (7.8% improvement). In contrast, annual mean NO₂ concentrations increased between 2024 and 2025 at Fishergate (3.2% increase), Nunnery Lane (0.5% increase), Heworth Green (8.6% increase) and Fulford Road (2.1% increase). Annual mean background concentrations of NO₂ monitored at Bootham Park Hospital (City of York Council’s urban background monitoring site) also increased by 2.4% between 2024 and 2025.

Whilst concentrations of NO₂ monitored at continuous monitoring sites in 2025 are not uniformly lower than in 2024, the overall long-term trend suggests a continued downward trajectory in pollution levels across much of York’s area since 2012. Ongoing air quality monitoring across the city is considered fundamental to understanding the magnitude of any changes due to increased levels of walking and cycling, changes in public transport use, vehicle electrification and other ongoing air quality improvement initiatives as set out in the council’s fourth Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP4).

With respect to the city centre AQMA, there were no monitoring locations that measured annual mean NO₂ concentrations of 40µg/m³ or above in 2025.  This is the second year since the pandemic (2020) that all CYC monitoring sites have achieved compliance with health-based objectives.

Maximum annual mean concentrations of NO₂ monitored at relevant locations across the current AQMA were 29.9µg/m³ (Gillygate / Bootham), 25.6µg/m³ (George Hudson St / Rougier St), 29.0µg/m³ (Holgate / Blossom Street), 26.8µg/m³ (Lawrence St), 26.0µg/m³ (Fishergate / Paragon St), 22.8µg/m³ (Prices Lane/Nunnery Lane) and 24.5µg/m³ (Coppergate).  With the exception of the Fishergate / Paragon Street area, where maximum concentrations increased by 2.5% between 2024 and 2025, maximum concentrations of NO₂ decreased in all other areas between 2024 and 2025 and ranged from 3.9% lower around Gillygate / Bootham to 10.6% lower around Holgate / Blossom Street.

In line with DEFRA’s LAQM guidance, before revoking an AQMA on the basis of measured pollutant concentrations, a local authority needs to be reasonably certain that any future exceedances of air quality objectives are unlikely. For this reason, it is expected that local authorities will need to consider measurements carried out over several years or more, national trends in emissions, as well as local factors that may affect the AQMA. Additionally, where NO₂ monitoring is undertaken using diffusion tubes, to allow for the uncertainty associated with the monitoring method, it is recommended that revocation of an AQMA should only be considered following three consecutive years of annual mean NO₂ concentrations being lower than 36µg/m³ (i.e. within 10% of the annual mean NO₂ objective). Whilst some areas of CYC’s AQMA have now experienced more than 3 consecutive years of concentrations being lower than 36µg/m³ this is not the case for all areas of the AQMA, notably the areas around Holgate/Blossom Street, Gillygate/Bootham and Rougier Street / George Hudson Street. CYC will keep the AQMA boundary under review, taking into account DEFRA’s guidelines. It may be appropriate to revoke some areas of the city centre AQMA in the near future.

Concentrations of NO₂ monitored in the former Fulford Road AQMA in 2025 continue to be well below the annual mean objective of 40µg/m³.  The highest recorded levels of NO₂ in this area were monitored on Fulford Main Street (Diffusion Tube C58) and were 23.1µg/m³.  This supports the decision to revoke the Fulford Road AQMA, as discussed in CYC’s previous Annual Status Reports and implemented in February 2020.

Concentrations of NO₂ monitored in the former Salisbury Terrace / Leeman Road AQMA in 2025 were also all well below the annual mean objective of 40µg/m³. The highest recorded levels of NO₂ in this area were monitored on Salisbury Terrace (Diffusion Tube 102, part of triplicate set reference 102/103/104) and were 19.4µg/m³.  This confirms that the decision to revoke this AQMA in December 2017 was appropriate.

In December 2018, the boundary of the city centre AQMA was extended to include the full length of Coppergate and the buildings either side of the road, due to monitored concentrations of NO₂ above the annual mean objective for this pollutant.  The highest annual mean concentrations of NO₂ monitored along Coppergate in 2025 was 24.5µg/m³ at site D56 (Three Tuns Pub, 12 Coppergate) which is below the annual mean objective for this pollutant.  This area of the AQMA has now experienced concentrations of NO₂ below 36µg/m³ for 3 consecutive years (2023, 2024 and 2025) with maximum concentrations monitored in 2025 being 9.9% lower than 2024.  This area of the city centre AQMA will be kept under review for a further 1-2 years to confirm that concentrations of NO₂ remain well within objective levels, prior to making any amendments to the AQMA boundary.

Revisions to the AQMA Order in December 2018 also removed the reference to breaches of the short-term hourly objective along George Hudson Street / Rougier Street / Bridge Street based on monitoring results in this area. The latest 2025 monitoring results for this area of the city indicate that this short-term objective is still being met (all annual mean concentrations were less than 60µg/m³ which, in line with DEFRA guidance, suggests that an exceedance of the 1-hour mean objective is unlikely).

3.2.2    Particulate Matter (PM₁₀)

Table A.6 in Appendix A: Monitoring Results compares the ratified and adjusted monitored PM₁₀ annual mean concentrations for the past five years with the air quality objective of 40µg/m³.

Table A.7 in Appendix A compares the ratified continuous monitored PM₁₀ daily mean concentrations for the past five years with the air quality objective of 50µg/m³, not to be exceeded more than 35 times per year.

CYC monitored particulate (PM₁₀) at 3 sites in 2025 (Bootham, Fishergate and Plantation Drive).  National air quality objectives for PM₁₀ are currently met in York; this has been the case since monitoring of PM₁₀ was established in the city.  The highest annual mean concentration of PM₁₀ monitored in York in 2025 was 17.0µg/m³ at the Plantation Drive monitoring site.  Along with many areas of the UK, this concentration is above the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline for this pollutant, which has been strengthened to 15µg/m³.  Compared with 2024, annual mean concentrations of PM₁₀ monitored in 2025 increased at the Bootham background monitoring site (4.5% increase) and Fishergate roadside monitoring site (8.2% increase) but decreased at Plantation Drive (4.1% decrease).  Based on PM₁₀ monitoring data over the last 5 years, there does not appear to be any clear trend in annual mean PM₁₀ concentrations.

In 2025 there were less than 35 permitted exceedences of the daily mean PM₁₀ objective of 50µg/m³ at all monitoring sites. Exceedences of 50µg/m³ were recorded at the Fishergate site on 4 days.

3.2.3    Particulate Matter (PM_2.5)

Table A.8 in Appendix A presents the ratified and adjusted monitored PM_2.5 annual mean concentrations for the past five years.

Although not explicitly required under the Local Air Quality Management regulations, where Local Authorities undertake PM_2.5 monitoring they are encouraged to report it as part of the Annual Status Report.  Fine-particulate, or PM_2.5, is the pollutant which has the biggest impact on public health and on which the Public Health Outcomes framework (PHOF) indicator is based.

CYC monitored PM_2.5 at four locations in the city in 2025, namely Bootham (urban background site), Fishergate, Gillygate and Holgate Road (roadside sites).  Monitoring of PM_2.5 at Fishergate and Bootham is carried out as part of DEFRA’s Automatic and Rural Monitoring Network (AURN).  Monitoring at Gillygate and Holgate was established by CYC as a result of the growing concerns over the health impacts of PM_2.5.

National air quality objectives for PM_2.5 are currently met in York.  The highest annual mean level of PM_2.5 monitored in York in 2025 was 9.6µg/m³ at Gillygate. This compares with a maximum level of 9.0µg/m³ monitored in 2024 at the same site.  All monitored concentrations in 2025 are within the current annual mean objective of 10µg/m³. As with most areas of the UK, monitored concentrations of PM_2.5 in York are above the WHO Guideline value of 5µg/m³ for this pollutant.

Between 2024 and 2025, annual mean concentrations of PM_2.5 increased at all monitoring sites. The largest increase (15%) was seen at the Fishergate roadside monitoring site, with increases also seen at Bootham (12%), Holgate Road (9%) and Gillygate (7%).  Whilst there is a long-term downward trend in PM_2.5 in York (over the last 10+ years), concentrations over the last 5 years have been more variable, especially at roadside continuous monitoring sites.

 

 

3.3  Air Quality Indicators

3.3.1    Council Plan Air Quality Indicators

Three air quality indicators have been developed to look at trends in air quality across CYC’s current AQMA and are as follows:

Indicator CAN027 – Average Annual Mean Nitrogen Dioxide Concentration in each area of technical breach.  This indicator provides an average nitrogen dioxide concentration within areas of the AQMA where properties are included in the boundary and breaches of the annual mean objective have previously been monitored (historical AQMA areas such as Salisbury Terrace and Fulford Road, are also shown for information). Monitoring results include bias corrected diffusion tube data and data from continuous monitors (if applicable).  Trends for CAN027 between 2021 and 2025 are shown below:

Average concentrations of NO₂ monitored in 2025 were lower than 2024 in all areas except Fishergate / Paragon Street, where the increase was only 1.4%. Indicator CAN027 continues to suggest a steady downward trend in NO₂ concentrations over the last 10+ years.

Indicator CAN028 - Maximum Nitrogen Dioxide Concentration (at relevant location) in each area of Technical Breach.  This indicator provides a maximum recorded annual mean nitrogen dioxide concentration within areas of the AQMA where properties are included in the boundary and breaches of the annual mean objective have previously been monitored (historical AQMA areas, such as Salisbury Terrace and Fulford Road, are also shown for information). This only considers monitoring at relevant locations and is therefore useful to look at the validity of existing AQMA boundaries year to year. Monitoring results include bias corrected diffusion tube data and data from continuous monitors (if applicable). Trends between 2021 and 2025 are shown below:

The maximum annual mean NO₂ concentration monitored at a relevant location in 2025 was 29.9µg/m³ (Diffusion tube A1 on Bootham, near the Gillygate junction). This compares with a maximum value of 32.4µg/m³ monitored on Blossom Street in 2024. Maximum concentrations of NO₂ across all areas of the AQMA in 2025 were below the annual mean NO₂ objective and decreased between 2024 and 2025 in all areas apart from Fishergate / Paragon Street (where maximum concentrations increased by 2.5%). The greatest improvement in 2025 was observed in the Blossom Street / Holgate Road area, where maximum concentrations of NO₂ improved by 10.6% between 2024 and 2025. Maximum concentrations of NO₂ monitored across all areas except Fishergate / Paragon Street are the lowest recorded in 15 years of monitoring (the lowest recorded concentrations of NO₂ in the Fishergate / Paragon Street area were observed 2024).

Indicator CAN038: Average of maximum annual mean nitrogen dioxide concentrations recorded across three areas of technical breach (at points of relevant public exposure).  With the exception of 2023/2024 (and 2020 during the pandemic), CYC’s air quality monitoring network has previously demonstrated sustained exceedances of the NO₂ objective of 40µg/m³ in 3 areas of the city, namely Gillygate/Lord Mayor’s Walk, Blossom Street/Holgate Road, and Rougier Street / George Hudson Street.  These are referred to as ‘technical breach areas’ and fall within CYC’s AQMA.  Whilst not all monitoring points within these areas are exceeding health-based standards, there has previously been at least one monitor at a point of relevant public exposure within each area that is above the annual mean objective of 40µg/m³. Indicator CAN038 considers an average of the maximum annual mean concentrations of NO₂ in these three areas (specific values for the 3 respective areas are shown in indicator CAN028 above).

As can be seen from the graph above, the AQAP4 target was met in 2025 and the indicator is well within the 40µg/m³ objective.  Projections undertaken during development of AQAP4 suggested that it may take until 2026 for this indicator to fall below 40µg/m³. The rate of improvement observed in York between 2022 - 2025 has significantly exceeded that observed in earlier years from 2012 – 2022 (which was around 2.5% improvement a year over 10 years).

3.3.2    Local Transport Plan Air Quality Indicators

For the purpose of monitoring the impact of York’s Local Transport Plan a local air quality indicator was established and has been reported over the last 20+ years.  This indicator measures the mean of annual average results obtained from 35 diffusion tubes located within CYC’s city centre AQMA.  Trends in this indicator between 2002 and 2025 are shown below:

This indicator suggests that NO₂ concentrations across the city were in general decline between 2002 and 2005.  This was followed by a steady increase in concentrations between 2006 and 2010.  There has been an ongoing downward trend in NO₂ concentrations across the city centre AQMA over the last 15 years. The figures of 20.2 and 20.6µg/m³ recorded in 2024/2025 are the lowest recorded values since the indicator was established in 2002 and are lower than the figure monitored in 2020 during the pandemic (a result of significantly lower traffic levels and associated emissions in the city as a result of the Covid-19 lockdowns). This reinforces trends seen with other council air quality indicators described above.

 

Appendix A: Monitoring Results

Table A.1– Details of Automatic Monitoring Sites

Site ID	Site Name	Site Type	X OS Grid Ref (Easting)	Y OS Grid Ref (Northing)	Pollutants Monitored	In AQMA?	Which AQMA? (1)	Monitoring Technique	Distance to Relevant Exposure (m) (1,2)	Distance to kerb of nearest road (m) (1)	Inlet Height (m)
CM1	Bootham	Urban Background	460022	452777	NO2, PM10, PM2.5	No	N/A	Chemiluminescent, BAM	60.0	49.6	3.0
CM2	Fishergate	Roadside	460746	451038	NO2, PM10, PM2.5	Yes	AQMA No.5	Chemiluminescent, BAM	10.0	3.2	2.7
CM3	Holgate	Roadside	459512	451282	NO2, PM2.5	Yes	AQMA No.5	Chemiluminescent, TEOM 1405	12.0	2.5	1.7
CM4	Nunnery Lane	Roadside	460068	451199	NO2	Yes	AQMA No.5	Chemiluminescent	4.0	1.7	1.7
CM5	Gillygate	Roadside	460147	452345	NO2, PM2.5	Yes	AQMA No.5	Chemiluminescent, TEOM 1405	3.0	2.1	2.5
CM6	Lawrence Street	Roadside	461256	451340	NO2	Yes	AQMA No.5	Chemiluminescent	5.0	3.2	1.7
CM7	Heworth Green	Roadside	461126	452602	NO2	No	N/A	Chemiluminescent	3.0	1.2	1.5
CM8	Plantation Drive	Roadside	457428	452620	PM10	No	N/A	TEOM	17.0	1.0	1.7
CM9	Fulford Road	Roadside	460937	449464	NO2	No	N/A	Chemiluminescent	19.0	5.0	1.7

Notes:

(1) N/A if not applicable

(2) 0m if the monitoring site is at a location of exposure (e.g. installed on the façade of a residential property).

Table A.2– Details of Non-Automatic Monitoring Sites

Diffusion Tube ID	Site Name	Site Type	X OS Grid Ref (Easting)	Y OS Grid Ref (Northing)	Pollutants Monitored	In AQMA? Which AQMA?	Distance to Relevant Exposure (m) (1)	Distance to kerb of nearest road (m) (2)	Tube Co-located with a Continuous Analyser?	Tube Height (m)
5	Lamp post 15 Forge Close, Jockey Lane	Roadside	462040	454883	NO2	NO	16.9	1.9	N	~2.75
6	Lamp post top of Nunnery Lane Car Park	Roadside	459777	451406	NO2	YES	7.7	2.8	N	~2.75
7	Gillygate opposite Portland Street	Roadside	460217	452421	NO2	YES	2.3	0.3	N	~2.75
8, 9, 9a	Portland Street - triplicate	Urban Background	460163	452468	NO2	NO	3.7	1.8	N	~2.75
11	Holly Bank	Urban Background	458846	450946	NO2	NO	7.7	0.7	N	~2.75
13	Papillion hotel, Gillygate	Roadside	460176	452377	NO2	YES	0.1	1.5	N	~2.75
14	Gillygate Surgery	Roadside	460167	452347	NO2	YES	0.2	2.3	N	~2.75
15	Foss Islands Rd	Roadside	461105	451458	NO2	YES	1.9	1.9	N	~2.75
16	Prices Lane	Roadside	460160	451152	NO2	YES	2.5	1.2	N	~2.75
17	Drainpipe of house 18 Queen St	Roadside	459646	451500	NO2	YES	0.2	1.3	N	~2.75
18	Lamp post 4 Haxby Road	Roadside	460457	452903	NO2	YES	3.3	1.9	N	~2.75
25	Heworth Road - Lamp post 6	Roadside	461721	452709	NO2	NO	7.2	1.4	N	~2.75
26	Haleys Terrace (previously Longwood Road)	Roadside	460829	453524	NO2	NO	8.5	0.4	N	~2.75
33	Haxby Road (nr Whitecross Rd)	Roadside	460598	453227	NO2	NO	14.5	1.7	N	~2.75
35	Carr Lane	Roadside	457603	451492	NO2	NO	6.2	2.9	N	~2.75
37	Jarvis Abbey Park	Roadside	459522	451187	NO2	YES	21.6	2.7	N	~2.75
44	Lamp post 8 Monkgate Cloisters	Roadside	460679	452326	NO2	YES	2	1.6	N	~2.75
45	Clarence St	Roadside	460319	452754	NO2	YES	3.6	2	N	~2.75
47	Strensall Road	Roadside	462009	456996	NO2	NO	19.2	0.8	N	~2.75
50	BLANK	N/A	N/A	N/A	NO2	N/A	N	N/A	N	N/A
60	First Lamp post on Navigation Road	Roadside	461017	451781	NO2	YES	13	0.2	N	~2.75
78, 79, 80	Gillygate Monitoring Station - triplicate	Roadside	460149	452342	NO2	YES	3.4	2.3	Y	~2.75
83	Drainpipe 6 Stockton Lane - nr Heworth Rd roundabout	Urban Background	461597	452830	NO2	NO	0.1	8.8	N	~2.75
88	Lamp post 1 Yew Tree Mews Osbaldwick Village	Urban Background	463354	451972	NO2	NO	4.9	0.6	N	~2.75
90	Lamp post Opposite Montaque Street on Cambleshon Road	Roadside	459997	450109	NO2	NO	19.8	1	N	~2.75
96	Heslington Lane	Roadside	460978	449452	NO2	NO	1.5	2.5	N	~2.75
100	House Near A59 Ringroad Roundabout	Roadside	456228	453312	NO2	NO	0.2	15	N	~2.75
101	Wiggington Road near the ring road roundabout	Roadside	459746	455897	NO2	NO	15	0.5	N	~2.75
102, 103, 104	Signpost between houses 252 & 254 on Salisbury Terrace - triplicate	Roadside	458703	452429	NO2	NO	0.1	1.4	N	~2.75
107	Inbetween corner shop & betting office	Roadside	458779	452387	NO2	NO	3	3.8	N	~2.75
108	On signpost opposite side of road from 200 Salisbury Terrace	Roadside	458814	452373	NO2	NO	0.2	1.5	N	~2.75
109	Signpost outside 16 Rougier Street	Roadside	459924	451833	NO2	YES	0.2	2.5	N	~2.75
110	Signpost between Club Salvation & 31 George Hudson Street	Roadside	459985	451727	NO2	YES	0.2	2.3	N	~2.75
111	Lamp post at side of Cedar Court opposite entrance to Multi-storey Car Park on Tanner Row	Roadside	459917	451728	NO2	NO	26	2.6	N	~2.75
112	Lamp post outside St Gregorys Mews, opposite Council HQ Toft Green	Roadside	459873	451684	NO2	NO	1	2.3	N	~2.75
114	Bus Stop outside Society bar/cafe Rougier Street	Roadside	459981	451778	NO2	YES	3.5	2.7	N	~2.75
116	111 Poppleton Road, drainpipe	Roadside	458212	452037	NO2	NO	0.1	5.3	N	~2.75
125	Osbaldwick Derwenthorpe	Roadside	463194	451967	NO2	NO	20	1.6	N	~2.75
126	New Tube (Osbalwick Parish Council) nr Bridge	Roadside	463482	451896	NO2	NO	17.5	0.9	N	~2.75
127	Lamp post to left of 102 Layerthorpe (flats)	Roadside	461108	452313	NO2	NO	3.3	1.8	N	~2.75
128	Drainpipe between 7-9 Livingstone Street	Roadside	458686	452369	NO2	NO	0.1	1.6	N	~2.75
129	Drainpipe to front of 88 Station Road	Roadside	455968	453397	NO2	NO	0.1	14.5	N	~2.75
2a, 2b, 2c	Fishergate Monitoring station - triplicate	Roadside	460746	451034	NO2	YES	16.3	3.5	Y	~2.75
3a, 3b, 3c	Bootham Monitoring Station - triplicate	Urban Background	460024	452767	NO2	NO	39	49.6	Y	~2.75
95a, 95b, 95c	Fulford Monitoring Station - triplicate	Roadside	460938	449465	NO2	NO	19	6.5	Y	~2.75
A1	Bootham traffic light outside dance shop	Roadside	460088	452263	NO2	YES	0.2	2.3	N	~2.75
A11	Traffic lights end of Water Lane	Roadside	459341	453042	NO2	YES	13.6	0.4	N	~2.75
A12	Lamp post 7 Clifton Green	Roadside	459251	453008	NO2	YES	12.9	2.2	N	~2.75
A13, A14, A14a	Lamp post 1 Clifton Dale - triplicate	Urban Background	459335	452931	NO2	NO	2.7	1.6	N	~2.75
A17	Sailsbury Road	Roadside	458578	452472	NO2	NO	8.7	1.5	N	~2.75
A19, A19a, A19b	17 Sailsbury Terrace - triplicate	Roadside	458713	452414	NO2	NO	0.2	1.3	N	~2.75
A2	Drainpipe on front of registry office	Roadside	459917	452405	NO2	YES	0.2	3.4	N	~2.75
A20, A20a, A20b	224 Sailsbury Terrace - triplicate	Roadside	458760	452404	NO2	NO	0.2	1.1	N	~2.75
A21	Kingsland Terrace	Urban Background	458806	452326	NO2	NO	0.2	1.4	N	~2.75
A22	Kingsland Terrace	Urban Background	458792	452242	NO2	NO	0.2	23.8	N	~2.75
A25	Garfield Terrace	Roadside	458706	452225	NO2	NO	0.2	1.5	N	~2.75
A29	Low Poppleton Lane	Urban Background	456939	453013	NO2	NO	23.6	1.1	N	~2.75
A3	WRVS building -Bootham	Roadside	459822	452492	NO2	YES	0.2	2.6	N	~2.75
A30	Boroughbridge Road	Urban Background	457060	452888	NO2	NO	8.3	6.2	N	~2.75
A36	Boroughbridge Road	Urban Background	457625	452446	NO2	NO	0.2	9.4	N	~2.75
A38	Boroughbridge Road	Urban Background	457857	452334	NO2	NO	0.2	10.3	N	~2.75
A4	St Olaves Road	Urban Background	459699	452638	NO2	YES	5.8	0.7	N	~2.75
A40	Poppleton Road School	Urban Background	458109	452196	NO2	NO	0.2	7.9	N	~2.75
A41	140 Poppleton Road	Roadside	458172	452108	NO2	NO	0.2	5.3	N	~2.75
A45	Grantham Drive	Urban Background	458384	451817	NO2	NO	0.2	10.5	N	~2.75
A98	8 Poppleton Road	Roadside	458666	451468	NO2	NO	0.2	4.9	N	~2.75
A50	Outside Fox pub -Holgate Rd	Roadside	458732	451393	NO2	YES	16.1	0.3	N	~2.75
A51	Thrall entrance	Urban Background	458827	451348	NO2	YES	18	2.2	N	~2.75
A52	Holgate Road (corner of Hamilton Dr East)	Roadside	458945	451254	NO2	YES	10.9	2	N	~2.75
A53	Holgate Road	Roadside	459066	451239	NO2	YES	7.9	2.7	N	~2.75
A54	Dalton Terrace	Roadside	459254	451223	NO2	YES	17.1	3.3	N	~2.75
A55	Holgate Road	Roadside	459351	451221	NO2	YES	5.5	0.2	N	~2.75
A57	Hairdressers Holgate Road	Roadside	459533	451280	NO2	YES	0.2	2.8	N	~2.75
A6	Clifton Bingo Hall	Roadside	459536	452811	NO2	YES	6.2	3	N	~2.75
A60	Shipton Road	Urban Background	458906	453276	NO2	NO	0.2	21.5	N	~2.75
A62	42 Shipton Road	Urban Background	458806	453483	NO2	NO	0.2	15.7	N	~2.75
A64	Lamp post outside Charlie Browns	Roadside	460030	452327	NO2	YES	2.4	0.6	N	~2.75
A66	70 Shipton Road	Urban Background	458672	453685	NO2	NO	0.2	18.4	N	~2.75
A69	6 South Cottages	Urban Background	458375	453958	NO2	NO	0.2	10	N	~2.75
A7	51 Clifton	Roadside	459441	452892	NO2	YES	3.3	2.1	N	~2.75
A70	120 Shipton Road	Urban Background	458299	454070	NO2	NO	0.2	13	N	~2.75
A71	154 Shipton road	Urban Background	458121	454254	NO2	NO	0.2	9.6	N	~2.75
A74	176 Shipton Road	Urban Background	458041	454371	NO2	NO	0.2	7.1	N	~2.75
A77	Lamp post outside 206 Shipton Road	Urban Background	457929	454537	NO2	NO	6.1	1.7	N	~2.75
A81	Lamp post outside 276 Shipton Rd	Urban Background	457733	454805	NO2	NO	0.2	8.4	N	~2.75
A85	Drainpipe front of Greenside guest house	Urban Background	459364	453009	NO2	NO	0.2	11.5	N	~2.75
A88	111 Boroughbridge Road, Drainpipe nearest Garage at side of the door	Urban Background	457470	452550	NO2	NO	0.2	12.9	N	~2.75
A9	Lime Tree House	Roadside	459295	453067	NO2	YES	12.6	1.7	N	~2.75
A90	Lamp post 25 Shipton Rd	Roadside	459238	453157	NO2	YES	8.2	1.9	N	~2.75
A94	5 Salisbury Road	Roadside	458651	452426	NO2	NO	0.2	13.7	N	~2.75
A96	Ousecliffe Gardens signpost, outside 31 Water End	Roadside	459038	452850	NO2	NO	10	0.6	N	~2.75
A97	Lamp post next to Air Quality Monitoring Station on Plantation Drive	Roadside	457431	452616	NO2	NO	18.7	2.2	N	~2.75
B1	Lamp post 1  Lowther Street opposite Riverside House Flats	Roadside	460848	452582	NO2	YES	0.2	1.3	N	~2.75
B15	Lamp post 99 Huntington Road	Roadside	461294	455305	NO2	NO	28	1.6	N	~2.75
B19	Lamp post 5 outside Huntington Primary School	Roadside	461891	455876	NO2	NO	17.2	1.6	N	~2.75
B2	Lamp post 7 Huntington Road opposite Park Grove	Roadside	460924	452697	NO2	YES	2.5	1.3	N	~2.75
B29	Eastern Terrace	Roadside	461453	452750	NO2	NO	0.3	1	N	~2.75
B3	Lamp post 11 Huntington Road outside no 70	Roadside	460952	452826	NO2	NO	2.9	1.4	N	~2.75
B36, B37, B37a	Lamp post 60 Malton Road - triplicate	Urban Background	462565	454194	NO2	NO	16.9	0.6	N	~2.75
B38	482 Malton Road	Urban Background	463757	455155	NO2	NO	0.2	11.7	N	~2.75
B41	76 Lawrence Street	Urban Background	461326	451330	NO2	YES	0.2	6.5	N	~2.75
B42	83 Lawrence Street	Urban Background	461430	451348	NO2	YES	0.2	7.2	N	~2.75
B43	117 Lawrence Street	Urban Background	461557	451343	NO2	YES	0.2	7.9	N	~2.75
B44	Outside nursing home, Lawrence Street	Roadside	461643	451343	NO2	YES	8.6	1.9	N	~2.75
B45	Pedestrian crossing Traffic Light Melrosegate Crossroads	Roadside	461849	451284	NO2	YES	17.3	0.5	N	~2.75
B47	47 Hull Road	Urban Background	462019	451289	NO2	NO	0.2	12.2	N	~2.75
B48	61 Hull Road	Urban Background	462122	451289	NO2	NO	0.2	12.8	N	~2.75
B50	134 Hull Road	Roadside	462291	451269	NO2	NO	0.2	3.7	N	~2.75
B51	117 Hull Road	Urban Background	462384	451298	NO2	NO	0.2	13.2	N	~2.75
B56	Lamp post 40 Hull Road	Roadside	462888	451289	NO2	NO	14.4	2.3	N	~2.75
B58	231 Hull Road	Urban Background	462970	451300	NO2	NO	0.2	14	N	~2.75
B60	Lamp post 1 Nursery Gardens	Urban Background	463234	451339	NO2	NO	10.7	1.3	N	~2.75
B63	Lamp post 54 Tang Hall Lane	Roadside	462704	451300	NO2	NO	13.2	0.9	N	~2.75
B72	Front of York Cycleworks	Roadside	461122	451374	NO2	YES	10	2.9	N	~2.75
B74	Heworth Court Hotel sign outside Sutherland House on side of house on drainpipe.	Urban Background	461371	452708	NO2	NO	5.2	17.8	N	~2.75
B80	On drainpipe on front of Heworth Surgery.	Urban Background	461185	452663	NO2	NO	24.5	13.4	N	~2.75
B82	Lamp post  Dalguise Grove	Urban Background	460974	452563	NO2	NO	3.1	1.1	N	~2.75
B83	Lamp post 24 Outside No.55 Heworth Green	Roadside	461285	452695	NO2	NO	11.3	1	N	~2.75
B84	Drainpipe to the left of the front door on 167 Hull Road	Urban Background	462654	451293	NO2	NO	0.2	13.4	N	~2.75
B85	Lamp post 7 Outside St Lawrences Working Mens Club	Roadside	461227	451368	NO2	YES	18.8	5.6	N	~2.75
B86	Lamp post 16 Heworth Green, next to Air Quality Station	Roadside	461116	452602	NO2	NO	5	0.7	N	~2.75
B88	Telegraph Pole 381 Hull Road	Roadside	462799	451291	NO2	NO	10	6.8	N	~2.75
B90	11 Lawrence Street	Roadside	461133	451394	NO2	YES	0.1	4.4	N	~2.75
B91	Lamp post 4 outside flats, opposite Rose and Crown Pub	Roadside	461143	451364	NO2	YES	0.9	3.1	N	~2.75
C12	Lamp post 1 Ainsty Grove	Urban Background	458825	449928	NO2	NO	10.8	0.3	N	~2.75
C17	248 Tadcaster Rd	Urban Background	459085	450544	NO2	NO	0.2	20.6	N	~2.75
C18	196 Mount Vale	Urban Background	459204	450772	NO2	YES	0.2	9.2	N	~2.75
C19	Trentholme Dr	Urban Background	459271	450819	NO2	YES	7.7	0.4	N	~2.75
C2	Lamp post 66 Tesco roundabout	Roadside	458333	448974	NO2	NO	16.9	1.1	N	~2.75
C20	Elmbank hotel	Urban Background	459280	450923	NO2	YES	21.4	0.5	N	~2.75
C21	Dalton Terrace	Roadside	459410	451040	NO2	YES	3.8	3.5	N	~2.75
C22	Park Street	Urban Background	459570	451195	NO2	YES	14.4	1.1	N	~2.75
C23	The Mount	Roadside	459553	451252	NO2	YES	0.2	3	N	~2.75
C26	Outside Odean	Roadside	459639	451334	NO2	YES	12.9	0.8	N	~2.75
C27	Windmill Pub	Roadside	459717	451433	NO2	YES	0.2	3.2	N	~2.75
C28	House top of Selby Rd	Urban Background	461201	448386	NO2	NO	0.2	15.3	N	~2.75
C29	Lamp post 34 Selby Road	Roadside	461196	448426	NO2	NO	21.7	0.5	N	~2.75
C30	Lamp post 2 Selby Rd	Roadside	461185	448462	NO2	NO	13.1	1.2	N	~2.75
C31	2 Selby Rd	Urban Background	461193	448473	NO2	NO	0.2	14.1	N	~2.75
C32	Fordlands Rd	Urban Background	461128	448823	NO2	NO	5.4	6.8	N	~2.75
C33	124 Main St	Urban Background	461085	448933	NO2	NO	1	11.2	N	~2.75
C34	103 Main St	Roadside	461085	449067	NO2	NO	0.2	3.5	N	~2.75
C36	50 Main St	Roadside	461052	449146	NO2	NO	0.2	3.7	N	~2.75
C37	59 Main St	Urban Background	461045	449223	NO2	NO	0.2	6.7	N	~2.75
C38	Lamp post 8 Main St	Roadside	461038	449225	NO2	NO	6	0.4	N	~2.75
C39	18 Main St	Roadside	460974	449336	NO2	NO	0.2	2.4	N	~2.75
C4	147 Tadcaster Rd	Urban Background	458470	449126	NO2	NO	0.2	14.3	N	~2.75
C40	Adams House B&B	Urban Background	460910	449628	NO2	NO	0.2	8.7	N	~2.75
C42	300 Fulford Rd	Urban Background	460857	449748	NO2	NO	0.2	10	N	~2.75
C43, C43a, C44	Lamp post 39 Fulford Rd - triplicate	Roadside	460869	449730	NO2	NO	8.7	0.3	N	~2.75
C49	Alma terrace	Urban Background	460860	450530	NO2	YES	6	0.9	N	~2.75
C51	Conservative Club	Roadside	460871	450727	NO2	YES	9.8	1	N	~2.75
C52	Howard St	Roadside	460853	450781	NO2	YES	9.9	1.4	N	~2.75
C53	Winterscale St	Roadside	460766	450924	NO2	YES	14.7	2.1	N	~2.75
C54	Escrick St	Roadside	460762	451069	NO2	YES	1.7	3.2	N	~2.75
C56	Pedestrian crossing on junction of Scarcroft Road/The Mount	Roadside	459484	451141	NO2	YES	25.1	1.3	N	~2.75
C57	Lamp post 1 Nelson's Lane	Urban Background	458912	450111	NO2	NO	5.9	1.3	N	~2.75
C58	Drainpipe of 4 Main Street Fulford	Roadside	460926	449429	NO2	NO	0.2	3.6	N	~2.75
C59	Drainpipe of 34 Tadcaster Road	Roadside	458735	449713	NO2	NO	0.2	3.6	N	~2.75
C62	East Mount Road	Roadside	459579	451251	NO2	YES	0.1	1	N	~2.75
C63	1 St Edwards Close	Roadside	458790	449740	NO2	NO	0.1	15.6	N	~2.75
C7	Slingsby Grove	Roadside	458611	449477	NO2	NO	1.4	2.6	N	~2.75
D10	Daisy Taylors Card Shop, Kings Square	Urban Background	460443	451927	NO2	NO	0.2	0.9	N	~2.75
D12	On signpost outside 26 Fossgate	Roadside	460567	451740	NO2	YES	0.2	1.6	N	~2.75
D13	Lamp post 4 Skeldergate, opposite City Mills	Roadside	460271	451358	NO2	YES	1.6	1.6	N	~2.75
D14	Lamp post 3 Barbican Road outside No.7	Roadside	461077	451354	NO2	YES	1.9	0.2	N	~2.75
D16	Lamp post 1 , Paragon St	Roadside	460708	451231	NO2	YES	0.2	3	N	~2.75
D17	Piccadilly/ Merchantgate junction	Roadside	460575	451616	NO2	YES	19.3	0.3	N	~2.75
D18	Lamp post 6 Clifford St opposite Peckitt Street	Roadside	460395	451502	NO2	YES	0.4	1.8	N	~2.75
D19	Bridge St/ Micklegate Junction	Roadside	460038	451626	NO2	YES	1.7	0.2	N	~2.75
D20	Low Ousegate / Clifford St  junction, outside Waterstones	Roadside	460323	451685	NO2	YES	13	0.5	N	~2.75
D22	Outside Museum Gardens	Roadside	460035	452010	NO2	YES	7.9	2.1	N	~2.75
D24	Priory St sign Micklegate	Roadside	459805	451543	NO2	NO	3.4	0.5	N	~2.75
D25	Bus Stop E outside Royal York Hotel	Roadside	459693	451750	NO2	YES	169.3	0.4	N	~2.75
D26	Lamp post 14 Piccadilly (near Travellodge)	Roadside	460671	451400	NO2	YES	15.5	2.1	N	~2.75
D27	Lamp post 2 St Deny's Road - outside hotel	Roadside	460734	451563	NO2	NO	11.7	1.5	N	~2.75
D28	Lamp post 4 outside The Garden of India restaurant on Fawcett Street	Roadside	460764	451185	NO2	YES	23.6	2.4	N	~2.75
D30	Lamp post outside Barbican Centre	Roadside	460834	451252	NO2	YES	35.5	0.1	N	~2.75
D31	Lamp post 9 Barbican road outside No.24	Roadside	461002	451229	NO2	YES	2	0.3	N	~2.75
D32	Lamp post 3 Bishopgate Street -next to bench	Roadside	460258	451208	NO2	YES	22.2	1.9	N	~2.75
D33	Lamp post 17 Nunnery Lane outside 81	Roadside	460075	451174	NO2	YES	3.9	0.2	N	~2.75
D35	Drainpipe of house 22, Prices Lane	Roadside	460134	451170	NO2	YES	0.2	1.6	N	~2.75
D36	Lamp post 7 Bishopthorpe Road, opposite entrance to Charlton St	Roadside	460135	450884	NO2	YES	6.1	0.2	N	~2.75
D37	Lamp post 3, Bishopthorpe Road, outside house 26	Roadside	460157	450988	NO2	YES	2	2	N	~2.75
D38	Lamp post 2 Scarcroft Rd	Roadside	460088	450929	NO2	YES	2.7	1.6	N	~2.75
D39	Lamp post 1 Bishopthorpe Road	Roadside	460185	451055	NO2	YES	1.5	0.5	N	~2.75
D4	Lamp post 11 Lord Mayor's Walk - opposite bike shop	Roadside	460560	452300	NO2	YES	25.1	2.3	N	~2.75
D40	Lamp post 16 Nunnery Lane	Roadside	460069	451196	NO2	YES	3.3	1.6	N	~2.75
D41	Drainpipe of 55 Lord Mayor's Walk	Roadside	460286	452487	NO2	YES	0.2	3.8	N	~2.75
D43	Rougier Street Signpost 1, has "Except for Access" sign on it.	Roadside	459920	451834	NO2	YES	3	0.3	N	~2.75
D45	Lamp post 6 The Stonebow Opposite Windsors World of Shoes	Roadside	460673	451869	NO2	YES	15.6	1	N	~2.75
D47	Lamp post 8 Jewbury	Roadside	460682	452187	NO2	YES	0.6	2.4	N	~2.75
D48	Outside De Grey House right hand side of side entrance gate post	Roadside	460103	452180	NO2	YES	33.6	2.3	N	~2.75
D49	Lamp post 1 Fishergate	Roadside	460656	451269	NO2	YES	0.2	2.8	N	~2.75
D50	Drainpipe side of Cardshop Coppergate	Roadside	460371	451682	NO2	YES	0.2	1.9	N	~2.75
D51	Inside Taxi Rank @ York Railway Station	Roadside	459640	451722	NO2	NO	N	40	N	~2.75
D52	Lamp post 3 Kent Street at side of car park	Roadside	460887	451140	NO2	NO	2	2	N	~2.75
D53	58 Nunnery Lane	Roadside	460115	451146	NO2	YES	0.1	3.6	N	~2.75
D54	76 Nunnery Lane	Roadside	460146	451116	NO2	YES	0.1	5.5	N	~2.75
D55	Museum Street - Opposite Thomas's Pub	Roadside	460087	452065	NO2	YES	1.8	2.2	N	~2.75
D6	Margaret Phillipson Court, Aldwalk	Urban Background	460570	452177	NO2	NO	0.2	2.6	N	~2.75
D8	Lamp post 2, The Stonebow - Jorvick café	Roadside	460553	451843	NO2	NO	27.3	0.5	N	~2.75
D9	Lamp post 8, Lord Mayor's Walk outside no 34	Roadside	460483	452357	NO2	YES	1.8	0.1	N	~2.75
D56	Three Tuns Pub, 12 Coppergate	Roadside	460400	451685	NO2	YES	0.1	1.6	N	~2.75
D57	Lamp post 4, Pedestrian Crossing, Coppergate	Roadside	460416	451708	NO2	YES	11.9	2.4	N	~2.75
D58	Traffic lights, opposite Duttons, Coppergate	Roadside	460435	451732	NO2	YES	8	0.1	N	~2.75
D59	Bus Stop outside 8/9 SLP	Roadside	460087	452156	NO2	YES	1.8	2.7	N	~2.75
D60	No entry sign outside 'Schuh' Shoe Shop	Roadside	460294	451883	NO2	NO	N	1.7	N	~2.75
130	Field Lane, Near Junction with Deramore Drive	Roadside	463618	450980	NO2	NO	12.0	2.0	N	~2.75
115	Inside Bus Stop (opposite side of road from tube 114) Rougier Street	Roadside	459962	451771	NO2	YES	47	1.5	N	~2.75

Notes:

(1) 0m if the monitoring site is at a location of exposure (e.g. installed on the façade of a residential property).

(2) N/A if not applicable.

Table A.3 – Annual Mean NO₂ Monitoring Results: Automatic Monitoring (µg/m³)

Site ID	X OS Grid Ref (Easting)	Y OS Grid Ref (Northing)	Site Type	Valid Data Capture for Monitoring Period (%) (1)	Valid Data Capture 2025 (%) (2)	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Bootham	460022	452777	Urban Background	98.9	98.9	12.7	12.6	11.8	11.5	11.8
Fishergate	460746	451038	Roadside	99.0	99.0	19.8	19.2	17.3	18.4	19.0
Holgate	459512	451282	Roadside	99.5	99.5	23.6	21.1	21.4	19.6	17.8
Nunnery Lane	460068	451199	Roadside	99.5	99.5	19.8	19.1	17.8	16.4	16.5
Gillygate	460147	452345	Roadside	99.2	99.2	25.5	27.1	25.3	19.8	19.1
Lawrence Street	461256	451340	Roadside	96.3	96.3	21.3	20.0	18.4	18.0	16.6
Heworth Green	461126	452602	Roadside	93.0	93.0	20.3	20.4	17.7	15.5	16.9
Fulford Road	460937	449464	Roadside	89.1	89.1	17.3	16.8	17.0	15.8	16.1

☒ Annualisation has been conducted where data capture is <75% and >25% in line with LAQM.TG22.

☒ Reported concentrations are those at the location of the monitoring site (annualised, as required), i.e. prior to any fall-off with distance correction.

☒ Where exceedances of the NO₂ annual mean objective occur at locations not representative of relevant exposure, the fall-off with distance concentration has been calculated and reported concentration provided in brackets for 2025.

Notes:

The annual mean concentrations are presented as µg/m³.

Exceedances of the NO₂ annual mean objective of 40µg/m³ are shown in bold.

All means have been “annualised” as per LAQM.TG22 if valid data capture for the full calendar year is less than 75%. See Appendix C for details.

Concentrations are those at the location of monitoring and not those following any fall-off with distance adjustment.

(1) Data capture for the monitoring period, in cases where monitoring was only carried out for part of the year.

(2) Data capture for the full calendar year (e.g. if monitoring was carried out for 6 months, the maximum data capture for the full calendar year is 50%).

 

Table A.4– Annual Mean NO₂ Monitoring Results: Non-Automatic Monitoring (µg/m³)

Diffusion Tube ID	X OS Grid Ref (Easting)	Y OS Grid Ref (Northing)	Site Type	Valid Data Capture for Monitoring Period (%) (1)	Valid Data Capture 2025 (%) (2)	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
5	462040	454883	Roadside	91.7	91.7	12.1	12.1	11.7	10.1	12.4
6	459777	451406	Roadside	100.0	100.0	33.9	31.1	28.3	25.2	23.0
7	460217	452421	Roadside	91.7	91.7	46.2	49.5	41.7	28.2	26.0
11	458846	450946	Urban Background	91.7	91.7	13.2	13.6	12.6	11.9	14.3
13	460176	452377	Roadside	91.7	91.7	46.5	45.5	39.8	28.5	25.4
14	460167	452347	Roadside	100.0	100.0	47.5	47.3	39.9	27.7	28.5
15	461105	451458	Roadside	91.7	91.7	30.7	29.5	27.8	25.7	26.7
16	460160	451152	Roadside	66.7	66.7	30.4	29.1	24.1	20.7	20.8
17	459646	451500	Roadside	91.7	91.7	26.0	27.4	22.5	26.4	26.1
18	460457	452903	Roadside	83.3	83.3	30.3	29.7	25.4	20.4	19.3
25	461721	452709	Roadside	91.7	91.7	18.8	18.0	17.6	15.3	17.6
26	460829	453524	Roadside	91.7	91.7	26.4	25.8	24.0	22.4	21.7
33	460598	453227	Roadside	100.0	100.0	22.5	21.8	19.4	15.9	17.2
35	457603	451492	Roadside	91.7	91.7	19.7	18.8	17.6	16.6	16.5
37	459522	451187	Roadside	91.7	91.7	23.2	23.1	21.0	18.4	19.1
44	460679	452326	Roadside	100.0	100.0	18.9	17.8	16.2	15.3	16.6
45	460319	452754	Roadside	100.0	100.0	28.9	29.5	25.1	18.7	17.8
47	462009	456996	Roadside	83.3	83.3	22.1	22.6	21.8	19.5	19.5
60	461017	451781	Roadside	100.0	100.0	17.2	15.0	15.3	14.5	14.8
83	461597	452830	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	14.9	14.6	13.8	12.8	13.0
88	463354	451972	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	9.3	10.4	9.2	8.5	8.8
90	459997	450109	Roadside	91.7	91.7	11.0	11.4	10.1	10.0	10.3
96	460978	449452	Roadside	100.0	100.0	15.2	14.8	14.2	12.6	14.2
100	456228	453312	Roadside	91.7	91.7	14.3	14.1	11.2	12.0	13.8
101	459746	455897	Roadside	100.0	100.0	24.5	22.5	22.3	20.6	20.8
107	458779	452387	Roadside	100.0	100.0	15.9	15.5	14.1	12.3	13.2
108	458814	452373	Roadside	100.0	100.0	20.1	20.6	19.3	15.4	15.1
109	459924	451833	Roadside	91.7	91.7	39.3	43.7	36.6	28.5	25.6
110	459985	451727	Roadside	91.7	91.7	39.3	37.2	31.6	25.3	23.8
111	459917	451728	Roadside	100.0	100.0	20.6	17.8	19.6	16.9	17.2
112	459873	451684	Roadside	91.7	91.7	17.3	17.0	16.3	14.7	16.0
114	459981	451778	Roadside	91.7	91.7	33.8	34.4	30.0	22.0	20.6
116	458212	452037	Roadside	83.3	83.3	22.5	21.6	20.6	17.1	18.6
125	463194	451967	Roadside	91.7	91.7	10.6	11.5	11.3	8.3	8.8
126	463482	451896	Roadside	100.0	100.0	13.9	13.0	11.9	9.9	10.2
127	461108	452313	Roadside	91.7	91.7	18.3	20.1	16.9	16.8	17.0
128	458686	452369	Roadside	100.0	100.0	14.9	15.1	13.8	13.1	13.6
129	455968	453397	Roadside	100.0	100.0	12.7	12.4	11.2	10.0	10.7
A1	460088	452263	Roadside	100.0	100.0	43.6	44.1	42.6	31.1	29.9
A11	459341	453042	Roadside	100.0	100.0	25.8	24.8	25.6	23.3	22.9
A12	459251	453008	Roadside	91.7	91.7	22.4	22.6	22.3	19.7	18.6
A17	458578	452472	Roadside	83.3	83.3	24.7	23.0	22.9	18.7	21.4
A2	459917	452405	Roadside	83.3	83.3	25.7	26.1	23.7	21.5	20.9
A21	458806	452326	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	14.9	16.6	15.1	13.5	14.8
A22	458792	452242	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	15.8	16.9	16.2	15.0	15.5
A25	458706	452225	Roadside	100.0	100.0	18.0	18.2	17.5	15.5	16.3
A29	456939	453013	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	15.2	17.0	15.1	13.8	12.5
A3	459822	452492	Roadside	41.7	41.7	23.4	22.2	22.4	20.9	19.6
A30	457060	452888	Urban Background	91.7	91.7	15.8	15.1	14.8	11.9	14.4
A36	457625	452446	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	13.7	14.1	11.8	10.8	12.6
A38	457857	452334	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	12.6	13.0	12.1	11.0	11.6
A4	459699	452638	Urban Background	83.3	83.3	14.5	15.6	15.5	14.5	14.5
A40	458109	452196	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	16.3	16.1	15.3	13.2	15.0
A41	458172	452108	Roadside	100.0	100.0	18.1	16.8	15.6	14.5	15.3
A45	458384	451817	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	12.0	12.5	12.2	10.6	12.1
A50	458732	451393	Roadside	100.0	100.0	22.5	23.8	21.0	16.7	18.0
A51	458827	451348	Urban Background	91.7	91.7	17.9	18.4	16.7	13.0	15.5
A52	458945	451254	Roadside	100.0	100.0	27.9	26.6	25.3	21.7	21.2
A53	459066	451239	Roadside	91.7	91.7	28.1	27.5	24.2	20.6	20.5
A54	459254	451223	Roadside	100.0	100.0	30.9	27.9	28.5	26.0	23.0
A55	459351	451221	Roadside	91.7	91.7	28.0	26.8	24.6	19.6	20.5
A57	459533	451280	Roadside	91.7	91.7	43.5	38.1	35.9	29.6	29.0
A6	459536	452811	Roadside	33.3	33.3	18.5	18.9	17.5	16.9	15.7
A60	458906	453276	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	10.7	11.2	10.9	10.2	10.1
A62	458806	453483	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	11.2	11.9	11.5	8.7	11.2
A64	460030	452327	Roadside	83.3	83.3	24.8	23.7	23.8	20.9	21.3
A66	458672	453685	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	12.0	12.7	11.8	9.9	10.7
A69	458375	453958	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	11.7	11.7	10.4	9.1	10.7
A7	459441	452892	Roadside	100.0	100.0	20.8	19.4	18.7	16.7	18.0
A70	458299	454070	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	13.6	13.7	13.2	11.8	12.1
A71	458121	454254	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	10.5	10.4	10.6	9.4	10.4
A74	458041	454371	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	10.8	11.5	9.8	9.4	10.0
A77	457929	454537	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	13.9	15.7	14.6	11.7	13.3
A81	457733	454805	Urban Background	75.0	75.0	12.0	12.8	12.5	11.0	12.6
A85	459364	453009	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	16.1	17.3	16.1	13.8	14.4
A88	457470	452550	Urban Background	91.7	91.7	12.9	13.5	13.0	11.3	11.7
A9	459295	453067	Roadside	83.3	83.3	25.7	25.2	23.7	17.8	19.0
A90	459238	453157	Roadside	100.0	100.0	32.7	30.3	31.7	22.8	20.8
A94	458651	452426	Roadside	100.0	100.0	23.2	18.3	19.2	24.3	26.3
A96	459038	452850	Roadside	91.7	91.7	25.7	25.0	24.1	19.6	20.1
A97	457431	452616	Roadside	100.0	100.0	16.0	16.7	14.9	13.4	13.4
A98	458666	451468	Roadside	83.3	83.3	19.4	18.5	16.8	13.2	15.7
B1	460848	452582	Roadside	91.7	91.7	15.9	15.2	15.1	13.2	14.2
B15	461294	455305	Roadside	83.3	83.3	15.5	15.2	14.4	11.6	12.5
B19	461891	455876	Roadside	91.7	91.7	15.4	15.9	15.0	11.3	13.6
B2	460924	452697	Roadside	100.0	100.0	19.4	18.7	17.3	16.7	17.8
B29	461453	452750	Roadside	83.3	83.3	15.7	14.6	14.7	12.9	14.0
B3	460952	452826	Roadside	100.0	100.0	17.7	16.8	16.0	14.3	15.8
B38	463757	455155	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	12.5	12.7	12.0	12.5	11.6
B41	461326	451330	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	23.7	23.2	21.8	18.3	17.3
B42	461430	451348	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	18.4	17.3	15.7	13.8	13.9
B43	461557	451343	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	15.9	15.7	14.4	12.7	13.4
B44	461643	451343	Roadside	91.7	91.7	25.3	23.6	21.5	17.8	16.4
B45	461849	451284	Roadside	100.0	100.0	22.4	21.1	18.2	17.0	17.2
B47	462019	451289	Urban Background	91.7	91.7	11.8	11.7	10.2	10.0	10.2
B48	462122	451289	Urban Background	66.7	66.7	14.5	14.5	13.7	11.4	12.2
B50	462291	451269	Roadside	100.0	100.0	17.1	17.1	15.7	13.7	14.2
B51	462384	451298	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	13.0	12.9	12.4	10.2	10.7
B56	462888	451289	Roadside	100.0	100.0	22.7	21.3	21.1	18.5	17.2
B58	462970	451300	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	12.6	13.8	13.0	11.0	11.8
B60	463234	451339	Urban Background	83.3	83.3	13.7	13.4	13.6	11.8	12.9
B63	462704	451300	Roadside	83.3	83.3	23.2	22.4	22.2	19.6	20.6
B72	461122	451374	Roadside	50.0	50.0	33.7	33.8	30.9	28.1	26.8
B74	461371	452708	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	13.4	14.1	12.5	11.6	12.8
B80	461185	452663	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	12.5	11.8	12.4	9.6	11.0
B82	460974	452563	Urban Background	91.7	91.7	17.3	19.7	17.5	14.3	16.1
B83	461285	452695	Roadside	100.0	100.0	20.7	19.1	20.5	18.5	17.5
B84	462654	451293	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	16.9	17.1	16.8	14.2	13.9
B85	461227	451368	Roadside	100.0	100.0	24.9	22.8	20.6	19.4	17.2
B86	461116	452602	Roadside	91.7	91.7	21.1	17.3	16.8	15.4	14.2
B88	462799	451291	Roadside	91.7	91.7	20.4	20.9	18.7	16.9	17.4
B90	461133	451394	Roadside	91.7	91.7	28.5	25.1	24.3	21.1	20.3
B91	461142	451365	Roadside	91.7	91.7	-	28.8	27.7	24.0	23.2
C12	458825	449928	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	13.1	13.0	12.3	11.6	12.5
C17	459085	450544	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	12.1	12.8	12.0	10.5	11.9
C18	459204	450772	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	16.8	16.6	21.6	15.0	15.7
C19	459271	450819	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	12.8	12.8	13.2	11.1	12.2
C2	458333	448974	Roadside	100.0	100.0	25.8	25.8	21.7	18.3	19.8
C20	459280	450923	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	14.1	16.4	16.1	12.2	14.8
C21	459410	451040	Roadside	91.7	91.7	18.7	18.4	18.1	14.3	16.4
C22	459570	451195	Urban Background	91.7	91.7	15.4	15.4	14.9	14.1	14.3
C23	459553	451252	Roadside	91.7	91.7	28.9	30.4	27.3	21.9	21.4
C26	459639	451334	Roadside	100.0	100.0	34.1	31.7	30.6	22.7	22.4
C27	459717	451433	Roadside	100.0	100.0	40.7	41.3	37.1	32.4	28.2
C28	461201	448386	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	11.1	11.3	10.4	9.5	11.2
C29	461196	448426	Roadside	100.0	100.0	20.3	20.6	20.7	17.9	20.2
C30	461185	448462	Roadside	100.0	100.0	23.7	21.5	21.7	20.3	21.4
C31	461193	448473	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	12.7	13.0	13.2	11.5	13.2
C32	461128	448823	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	15.8	17.1	17.5	15.3	14.8
C33	461085	448933	Urban Background	91.7	91.7	11.0	11.5	10.8	10.4	11.0
C34	461085	449067	Roadside	91.7	91.7	17.3	17.2	17.3	15.0	16.2
C36	461052	449146	Roadside	100.0	100.0	20.1	20.6	19.7	18.9	18.4
C37	461045	449223	Urban Background	83.3	83.3	15.7	16.1	15.1	14.1	15.4
C38	461038	449225	Roadside	100.0	100.0	18.2	18.1	18.7	15.7	16.7
C39	460974	449336	Roadside	100.0	100.0	22.8	22.2	24.9	22.1	21.4
C4	458470	449126	Urban Background	91.7	91.7	12.5	12.9	12.0	10.7	12.3
C40	460910	449628	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	12.9	13.7	13.4	13.3	13.5
C42	460857	449748	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	15.2	15.9	16.5	14.2	15.0
C49	460860	450530	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	14.3	14.2	13.1	11.8	13.0
C51	460871	450727	Roadside	100.0	100.0	19.3	18.1	18.9	15.9	17.0
C52	460853	450781	Roadside	100.0	100.0	17.2	18.1	16.3	14.1	15.4
C53	460766	450924	Roadside	8.3	8.3	16.0	16.5	16.7	15.8	Insufficient data capture
C54	460762	451069	Roadside	91.7	91.7	21.3	20.0	19.7	18.6	19.8
C56	459484	451141	Roadside	66.7	66.7	25.0	24.8	22.4	18.0	18.9
C57	458912	450111	Urban Background	83.3	83.3	14.4	15.3	14.4	12.2	14.7
C58	460926	449429	Roadside	91.7	91.7	25.4	26.0	25.0	23.9	23.1
C59	458735	449713	Roadside	83.3	83.3	23.3	25.0	21.7	17.6	18.6
C62	459579	451251	Roadside	100.0	100.0	20.8	21.3	19.1	16.6	17.9
C63	458790	449740	Roadside	91.7	91.7	13.8	12.0	12.1	10.7	11.6
C7	458611	449477	Roadside	100.0	100.0	15.4	13.1	13.3	12.1	13.1
D10	460443	451927	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	12.5	13.3	12.6	12.4	12.4
D12	460567	451740	Roadside	100.0	100.0	14.3	14.2	12.9	11.1	12.2
D13	460271	451358	Roadside	100.0	100.0	17.6	18.4	16.7	13.3	15.7
D14	461077	451354	Roadside	100.0	100.0	30.8	28.0	28.4	25.9	26.1
D16	460708	451231	Roadside	83.3	83.3	32.9	30.4	28.8	25.4	26.0
D17	460575	451616	Roadside	66.7	66.7	28.5	30.9	24.7	20.4	18.0
D18	460395	451502	Roadside	100.0	100.0	24.2	22.7	20.4	18.2	18.2
D19	460038	451626	Roadside	100.0	100.0	40.5	38.2	32.4	23.8	22.0
D20	460323	451685	Roadside	100.0	100.0	33.4	36.6	31.2	21.3	21.8
D22	460035	452010	Roadside	100.0	100.0	32.3	30.7	28.9	21.4	21.0
D24	459805	451543	Roadside	91.7	91.7	20.5	19.6	18.0	18.0	16.9
D25	459693	451750	Roadside	75.0	75.0	33.0	34.7	31.9	28.6	28.4
D26	460671	451400	Roadside	83.3	83.3	25.1	23.6	20.7	17.2	17.4
D27	460734	451563	Roadside	83.3	83.3	20.8	19.0	15.9	13.2	14.3
D28	460764	451185	Roadside	100.0	100.0	27.4	26.1	23.5	24.1	22.2
D30	460834	451252	Roadside	91.7	91.7	20.4	18.4	18.0	15.9	17.7
D31	461002	451229	Roadside	91.7	91.7	24.4	22.9	22.2	20.3	21.5
D32	460258	451208	Roadside	83.3	83.3	29.1	27.9	25.0	22.7	22.9
D33	460075	451174	Roadside	91.7	91.7	24.4	24.4	24.4	21.0	21.2
D35	460134	451170	Roadside	66.7	66.7	32.8	30.6	25.7	24.8	22.8
D36	460135	450884	Roadside	100.0	100.0	25.2	24.9	22.8	20.7	21.3
D37	460157	450988	Roadside	91.7	91.7	22.6	20.9	19.7	20.7	20.8
D38	460088	450929	Roadside	100.0	100.0	18.2	16.6	15.8	15.5	16.1
D39	460185	451055	Roadside	100.0	100.0	23.5	23.8	20.7	19.8	20.0
D4	460560	452300	Roadside	100.0	100.0	22.2	21.1	19.6	18.4	18.8
D40	460069	451196	Roadside	100.0	100.0	21.7	19.2	17.4	17.2	17.3
D41	460286	452487	Roadside	91.7	91.7	30.8	31.9	30.8	25.5	27.7
D43	459920	451834	Roadside	100.0	100.0	36.9	39.3	30.7	25.3	23.1
D45	460673	451869	Roadside	83.3	83.3	18.7	17.9	16.1	14.9	16.1
D47	460682	452187	Roadside	91.7	91.7	19.3	18.0	18.7	16.3	17.5
D48	460103	452180	Roadside	100.0	100.0	35.1	35.4	30.4	21.7	20.2
D49	460656	451269	Roadside	91.7	91.7	30.0	29.8	25.7	24.2	24.0
D50	460371	451682	Roadside	100.0	100.0	29.1	29.4	27.0	20.7	21.0
D51	459640	451722	Roadside	100.0	100.0	35.9	41.4	40.4	35.5	39.3
D52	460887	451140	Roadside	91.7	91.7	19.3	19.4	13.9	14.4	15.6
D53	460115	451146	Roadside	91.7	91.7	21.9	19.8	17.8	16.7	18.0
D54	460146	451116	Roadside	100.0	100.0	20.6	19.3	18.1	16.4	17.0
D55	460087	452065	Roadside	91.7	91.7	44.9	39.2	37.1	24.5	22.7
D6	460570	452177	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	16.2	14.8	13.3	11.8	13.3
D8	460553	451843	Roadside	91.7	91.7	32.2	33.0	30.4	20.1	21.9
D9	460483	452357	Roadside	100.0	100.0	27.7	31.0	28.4	24.2	26.0
D56	460400	451685	Roadside	91.7	91.7	31.8	35.9	35.1	27.2	24.5
D57	460416	451708	Roadside	83.3	83.3	26.1	24.9	22.7	16.9	19.0
D58	460435	451732	Roadside	100.0	100.0	29.5	31.2	29.5	22.2	21.7
D59	460087	452156	Roadside	91.7	91.7	43.2	44.7	37.5	25.0	22.3
D60	460294	451883	Roadside	91.7	91.7	14.2	15.7	14.4	13.5	14.5
130	463618	450980	Roadside	75.0	75.0	10.1	10.5	9.8	7.1	9.4
115	459962	451771	Roadside	100.0	100.0	44.7	50.9	45.0	28.0	23.5
8, 9, 9a	460163	452468	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	11.0	12.3
A13, A14, A14a	459335	452931	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	11.2	12.7
78, 79, 80	460149	452342	Roadside	91.7	91.7	-	-	-	19.8	18.9
102, 103, 104	458703	452429	Roadside	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	20.4	19.3
2a, 2b, 2c	460746	451034	Roadside	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	17.7	18.3
3a, 3b, 3c	460024	452767	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	9.7	12.1
95a, 95b, 95c	460938	449465	Roadside	91.7	91.7	-	-	-	15.3	14.6
A19, A19a, A19b	458713	452414	Roadside	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	18.0	17.0
A20, A20a, A20b	458760	452404	Roadside	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	19.3	18.0
B36, B37, B37a	462565	454194	Urban Background	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	9.4	9.8
C43, C43a, C44	460869	449730	Roadside	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	18.7	18.5

☒ Annualisation has been conducted where data capture is <75% and >25% in line with LAQM.TG22.

☒ Diffusion tube data has been bias adjusted.

☒ Reported concentrations are those at the location of the monitoring site (bias adjusted and annualised, as required), i.e. prior to any fall-off with distance correction.

Notes:

The annual mean concentrations are presented as µg/m³.

Exceedances of the NO₂ annual mean objective of 40µg/m³ are shown in bold.

NO₂ annual means exceeding 60µg/m³, indicating a potential exceedance of the NO₂ 1-hour mean objective are shown in bold and underlined.

Means for diffusion tubes have been corrected for bias. All means have been “annualised” as per LAQM.TG22 if valid data capture for the full calendar year is less than 75%. See Appendix C for details.

Concentrations are those at the location of monitoring and not those following any fall-off with distance adjustment.

(1) Data capture for the monitoring period, in cases where monitoring was only carried out for part of the year.

(2) Data capture for the full calendar year (e.g. if monitoring was carried out for 6 months, the maximum data capture for the full calendar year is 50%).

 

Figure A.1– Trends in Annual Mean NO₂ Concentrations

 

Figure A.1a - Trends in Annual Mean NO₂ Concentrations monitored by diffusion tubes within the AQMA

Figure A.1b - Trends in Annual Mean NO₂ Concentrations monitored by diffusion tubes within the AQMA

Figure A.1c - Trends in Annual Mean NO₂ Concentrations monitored by diffusion tubes within the AQMA

Figure A.1d - Trends in Annual Mean NO₂ Concentrations monitored by diffusion tubes within the AQMA