The Annual Status Report sets out new information on air quality obtained by Wealden District Council as part of the Review & Assessment process required under the Environment Act 1995 (as amended by the Environment Act 2021) and subsequent Regulations.
Wealden District Council currently does not have any declared Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs). The Council reports that concentrations of NO₂ at all sites remained well below the relevant threshold during 2025 and that it does not need to consider declaring any AQMAs at this stage.
Consideration is being given to the development of a local Air Quality Strategy. The Council reports that development was delayed due to staff departures but, with vacancies now filled, work is expected to commence in autumn/winter 2026.
From 2023 those authorities who have not had to designate AQMAs and produce AQAPs should draw up a local Air Quality Strategy. The objective of a local Air Quality Strategy is to encourage prevention and reduction of polluting activities in preference to only taking steps to reduce air pollution once exceedances have been identified.
Defra recommends that Directors of Public Health approve draft ASRs. Sign off is not a requirement; however, collaboration and consultation with those who have responsibility for Public Health is expected to increase support for measures to improve air quality, with co-benefits for all. The ASR states that it has not been signed off by a Director of Public Health, although a copy will be passed to them for comment.
During 2025, NO₂ was monitored at 18 diffusion tube locations across Wealden. Annual mean concentrations ranged from 5.4 µg/m³ at W16 (Styles Lane, Wadhurst) to 24.9 µg/m³ at W4 (Uckfield Town Centre), with all sites remaining well below the annual mean objective of 40 µg/m³. Diffusion tubes were supplied and analysed by Gradko International Ltd using the 20% TEA in water method in accordance with Defra guidance. A national bias adjustment factor of 0.89 was applied, as the Council does not operate a local co-location study from which a local factor could be derived. Annualisation was required for sites W6, W7 and W12 due to low data capture following their decommissioning in April 2025 and was undertaken in accordance with LAQM.TG22 using Eastbourne and Lullington Heath background monitoring sites. Distance correction was considered but was not required at any location, as all monitored concentrations were well below the objective. During 2025, Wealden District Council operated one automatic monitoring station, Lullington Heath AURN, which monitored NO₂, PM₁₀, PM2.5, SO₂ and O₃. The annual mean PM₁₀ concentration at the site was 11.9 µg/m³ and the annual mean PM2.5 concentration was 7.7 µg/m³ during 2025. Both pollutants remained well below the relevant air quality objectives.
Wealden District Council reports that the Public Health Outcomes Framework indicator for mortality attributable to particulate air pollution was 4.8% in 2024, below the England average of 5.3%.
Wealden District Council have highlighted three key measures under Priority Air Quality Actions in Table 2.1. These measures will be fed into UK-AIR to raise awareness amongst local communities of local authority action to improve air quality. These key measures are:
- Installation of EV charge points infrastructure across 11 Wealden car parks;
- Improvements to the Cuckoo Trail to support more walking and cycling;
- Provision of EV commercial vehicles for Wealden DC community officer.
On the basis of the evidence provided by the local authority the conclusions reached in the report are accepted for all sources and pollutants. Following the completion of this report, Wealden District Council should continue development of its proposed Air Quality Strategy and submit an Annual Status Report in 2027.
Commentary
The report is well structured, comprehensive, and provides the information specified in the relevant guidance. The following comments are designed to help inform future reports:
- The Council has provided monitoring data from one automatic monitoring station and eighteen diffusion tube monitoring locations and has clearly described changes to the monitoring network during the reporting year.
- The report confirms that there were no exceedances of the annual mean NO₂ objective during 2025 and that all monitoring locations remained below the objective.
- The inclusion of discussion relating to PM2.5, including Public Health Outcomes Framework data and plans to deploy semi-mobile PM2.5 monitoring units, is welcomed.
- Appendix C contains detailed information regarding QA/QC procedures, annualisation methodology and application of the national bias adjustment factor.
- Future Annual Status Reports should provide an update on progress with development of the proposed Air Quality Strategy.
- The Council is reminded that, where low-cost or indicative PM2.5 monitoring is introduced in future years, results should be reported separately from reference monitoring and presented in accordance with LAQM guidance.
- Table 2.1 contains a number of gaps within the Funding Source, Estimated Cost of Measure, Reduction in Pollutant/Emission from Measure and Key Performance Indicator columns. Future reports should seek to complete these fields where information is available.
Issues specifically related to this appraisal can be followed up by returning the attached comment form to Defra, Welsh Government, Scottish Government or DOE.
For any other queries please contact the Local Air Quality Management Helpdesk:
Telephone: 0800 0327 953
Email: LAQMHelpdesk@bureauveritas.com
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