Manchester drops CAZ charge plans

Greater Manchester’s revised Clean Air Plan proposals do not include a charging Clean Air Zone. Instead, an investment-led approach is being proposed, which is expected to improve air quality faster than a charging Clean Air Zone – and without causing hardship to residents or businesses.

Greater Manchester’s Air Quality Administration Committee will meet on 20 December 2023 to consider the latest Clean Air Plan proposals. The committee is recommended to approve and submit evidence to the government’s Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU). JAQU will then decide what the final Clean Air Plan includes.

The next steps for the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan are dependent on feedback from the government. The nature and timescales of any further consultation on the Clean Air Plan proposals will be confirmed once formal government feedback is received. Greater Manchester is under direction from government to meet legal limits for nitrogen dioxide on local roads in the shortest possible time and by 2026 at the latest.

Non-charging plan delivers cleaner air faster than charging zone, modelling shows | Clean Air Greater Manchester (cleanairgm.com)

Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan | Clean Air Greater Manchester (cleanairgm.com)