Sheffield city centre Clean Air Zone expected to be approved

The proposed zone will cover the inner ring road and city centre

Drivers of the most polluting vehicles will have to pay to enter Sheffield city centre should plans for a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) go ahead.

The measure is expected to be approved at a city council meeting next week.

Taxis and LGVs that do not meet the emission standards will be charged £10 a day and coaches, buses and HGVs will be charged £50.

Private cars will not pay, because they make up 80% of traffic but contribute 50% of pollution, the council said.

The zone, expected to start next year, will cover the inner ring road and city centre, including Park Square and the A61 / Parkway junction. It will be enforced using automatic cameras that will track vehicles. 

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, plans were first announced in 2018 but the council delayed implementing them due to Covid-19, saying the situation in 2020 was "dramatically different" to the one in which original proposals were developed.

Air pollution contributes to 500 deaths a year in Sheffield and parts of the city exceeds legal limits of nitrogen dioxide, the council said. 

As a result, Sheffield was told by the government to reach legal limits in the shortest time possible.

The city was given £30m of government funds for the scheme, £24m of which will go towards supporting drivers to upgrade. 

The council said the CAZ is a standalone scheme that will be funded by government grants and money collected through the charge.

Any money made through charging will go into measures tackling pollution.