Leeds clean air zone plans set to be scrapped

The Clean Air Zone in Leeds would have affected motorists driving inside the outer ring road

Plans to introduce a Clean Air Zone in Leeds are set to be scrapped by the city council.

The much-delayed £29m scheme (CAZ) was paused in August due to unexpectedly positive air quality levels.

It would have seen higher-polluting lorries, taxis and buses charged a fee for entering the city centre and other parts of the city.

A council report has stated the zone, originally due to be introduced in January, was "no longer required".

It was the subject of a joint review with government to see if it was still needed to meet legal limits of air quality.

Polly Cook, the council's chief officer for air quality, said: "If traffic levels returned to pre-Covid levels, we would still not exceed legal limits."

A £6m camera system had already been installed to monitor the CAZ, with about 300 cameras placed at more than 100 junctions.

Private car owners and motorcycles would have been exempt from the scheme.

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Plans for the city's CAZ were originally signed off in January 2019

James Lewis, deputy leader of the council, said the frustrations over the scheme were offset as Leeds now had cleaner air, according to the Local Democracy Reporting service.

"Those drivers that have moved over to hybrid vehicles are now spending so much less on petrol," he said.

"It's not all bad news and we are appreciative of those people who have switched over."

Ms Cook said: "What we have seen is the outcome that we hoped the council would deliver."

The proportion of eco-friendly buses in the city had grown from one in 20 in 2016, to 19 in 20 in 2020, she added.

The council said grants and loans were still available to help local businesses switch to cleaner vehicles.

The report is to be discussed by the executive board on Wednesday 21 October.

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