Ashbourne: Air quality plan approved ahead of deadline

Ashbourne has a large number of heavy goods vehicles travelling through

A Derbyshire council has agreed a plan to improve Ashbourne's air quality, days before a government-set deadline.

Derbyshire Dales District Council's (DDDC) plan was approved on 16 May.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) had threatened to impose a plan if one had not been agreed locally by Tuesday.

It includes promoting alternatives to private car use, promoting low-emission transport, and new traffic management measures.

Discussions about whether and where a relief road should be built have gone on for decades

The council has stressed that the action plan is strictly not an alternative to the long-awaited Ashbourne bypass but a list of shorter-term, achievable options that can be carried out in the interim.

The bypass is not yet approved or fully funded, and it is thought it will take 10 years to build.

The road, which has widespread public support, would divert HGVs, many related to the quarrying industry, out of Ashbourne.

The district council, while "wholly supportive" of a relief road, said it had no powers to bring it to life, as authority for highways lies with Derbyshire County Council.

Councillor Peter Dobbs said: "You will note that the Ashbourne relief road is mentioned, not because it falls within the timescale of an action plan but because it is important to clarify that this remains a longer term goal for this council.

"From the response to the consultation, it seems that many believed that an action plan was in some way an alternative to the relief road. This was not and never can be the case," said Mr Dobbs.

The meeting heard that the county council, as the highways authority, opposed the introduction of a 20mph zone within the town and weight limits on the A515, which would divert heavy goods traffic away from Ashbourne.

Additional reporting by Eddie Bisknell, Local Democracy Reporter.