Sheffield clean air zone: Charges begin in plan to beat pollution

Sheffield's director of public health, Greg Fell said the council had focussed the impact of the clean-air zone on the oldest and the most polluting vehicles

New charges aimed at reducing pollution in Sheffield have come into force with the implementation of the city's clean air zone

Taxis, vans, buses and coaches which do not meet strict emissions standards will be charged to enter the city centre from Monday.

It will cost £10 a day for smaller vehicles and £50 for larger ones. Private cars will not be charged.

Sheffield public health boss Greg Fell said air pollution "killed people".

Mr Fell said: "It's not a congestion charge, it's a focused, targeted charge for the oldest and most polluting vehicles".

The director of public health added: "It's been accepted for 200 years that everyone has the right to drink clean water, we should have the right to breathe clean air as well.

"Air pollution as it is today kills well north of 250 people a year, makes a significant number of people poorly, causes strokes and heart attacks, causes children to have asthma and be admitted to hospital."

The clean air zone boundary covers Sheffield city centre

The city council said the scheme had been introduced following a legal directive from the government to bring nitrogen dioxide emissions within legal limits in the shortest possible time.

Clean air zones are graded from A to D with different vehicle types being liable for charges under each grade.

Sheffield's zone is grade C which covers heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), light goods vehicles (LGVs), vans, buses, coaches and taxis.

Any diesel vehicles that do not meet Euro 6 emissions will be charged, and these are likely to have been registered before September 2015.

Petrol vehicles that do not conform to Euro 4 standards will also be charged, and they are generally ones that were registered before 1 January 2006.

Other cities which operate clean air zones include Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol and Portsmouth. Plans for a similar scheme in Leeds were dropped in 2020.

Owners of business vehicles can apply for exemptions from the charge until 5 June and the council also offers grants of up to £16,000 towards the cost of replacing polluting lorries and vans.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, co-chair of the transport regeneration climate policy committee, said: "If people are struggling to afford the charge or update their vehicle they should get in touch with the council and we'll look at what support we can provide."

Wil Stewart, Sheffield's director of investment, climate change and planning, said: "The payment mechanism is that you've got six days to pay before or after you enter the charging zone or you can pay on the day - you do that on the government portal.

"There are lots of signs on the approaches to the clean air zone and on the ring road."

The council said if people did not pay the clean air zone charge they would get a penalty charge notice

Mr Stewart said so far 2,500 applications for exemptions from the scheme had been applied for.

He could not say yet how many applications had been approved or refused.