Supporting a healthier city by delivering Portsmouth’s Clean Air Zone
We have supported the delivery of a new Clean Air Zone to tackle roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the City of Portsmouth.
In 2017, the UK government set out its ‘Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations. It was identified that the city of Portsmouth exceeded statutory limits of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and Portsmouth City Council (PCC) were consequently required to draw up an action plan to address the issue.
A Clean Air Zone (CAZ) affecting road users was determined to be one of several effective measures to reduce emissions of NO2 within statutory limits in the shortest possible time. Portsmouth’s CAZ follows successful schemes in Bath and Birmingham, with Bradford and Greater Manchester due to launch in 2022.
We provided project management services in the development of the full business case for Portsmouth’s new CAZ, as well as throughout the delivery phase of the programme. The business case achieved ministerial approval in March 2021, and the Portsmouth Clean Air Zone launched successfully on 29 November 2021 – on time and on budget. We are now continuing to support PCC with the ongoing transition into the operational phase of the CAZ.
Since the initial appointment in 2020, our main role has been overseeing the management of the programme schedule and budget, as well as contractual services, data protection, project risks, reporting and quality assurance.
Our track record on comparable projects allowed us to bring experience beyond that already within the council’s existing team. This included expertise and lessons learnt from work on tackling NO2 emissions with Birmingham City Council, Tyneside Authorities, and Sheffield City Council.
We worked closely with the existing project team, ensuring that tasks were efficiently completed to a high quality. The implications for public health meant that it was imperative to keep timeframes tight and ensure the project continued at pace.
A key part of this was consistent engagement with other council departments and external stakeholders to give a clear understanding of the project’s scope, any hurdles, and how to overcome them.
Hayley Trower, Air Quality Improvement Manager, Portsmouth City Council, said:
Turner & Townsend has provided a high-quality service on this project as they have the skills that were not available through our in-house team.
"This is a very complex and novel project and being able to draw on their expertise and wider network has been invaluable.”
Steve Lee, Director, Turner & Townsend, said:
The successful launch of the new Clean Air Zone is a perfect example of cross-team collaboration, where the vision and drive of a local authority has been matched by the experience and network of our consultant team.
"The result will be a greener, more inclusive, and more productive city that all the residents of Portsmouth can enjoy. This has been achieved through a programme that has come in on time and on budget.”
