The plan for Bath’s Clean Air Zone has been approved – but now it must get the official sign-off from the Government.

If it comes into force, all vehicles emitting high levels of pollution, except private vehicles, will be charged on entering certain areas of the city.

But there are still many hurdles to jump, including securing £18 million in funding, before the project can go live on the target date of November 4th.

Addressing cabinet colleagues on January 16th, Cllr Sarah Warren said: “This work has been carried out within parameters and a timescale that have been very tightly defined by Government, while rightly under close scrutiny from the media and the public.

“The public’s help has been invaluable in ironing out the unintended consequences that might have arisen, had the Council gone live with earlier iterations of the proposal, and in ensuring we have the best scheme that we can for Bath.”

The Council dropped plans to charge private cars after 8,400 responses to its first con- sultation. The worst polluting taxis, private hire vehicles, minibuses, LGVs and vans will be charged £9 a day to enter the zone, while buses, coaches and lorries will have to pay £100.

Cllr Warren added: “Without charging cars, the only way that legal compliance can be achieved is to introduce traffic management at Queen Square to reduce the flow of traffic past a key pollution hotspot in Gay Street. It isn’t the outcome we would prefer to see at such an important Grade I-listed space in the heart of our World Heritage City.

“We regard the current proposal for Queen Square as a temporary measure until such time as nitrogen dioxide levels are legally compliant, and overall volumes of traffic have been reduced.”

The Government has ordered B&NES Council to bring nitrogen dioxide levels in Bath within the legal limit within the shortest time possible, and by 2021 at the latest. Cllr Warren said the Clean Air Zone will not be working in isolation and the Council will use other tools to cut pollution and carbon emissions.

The zone is set to cost between £22 million and £24 million to set up. Cllr Richard Samuel said: “There’s still money to be paid by Government to help the implementation. We’ve received just under £6 million. There’s £18.3 million we still need to receive.

“Unless this funding is

received in full, we won’t be able to implement the scheme in full. This has to be funded by the Government. This can’t fall on taxpayers.”

Council Leader, Dine Romero, said: “The Clean Air Zone is a blunt instrument to

deal with an immediate problem. There will be unintended consequences. We will make changes as necessary.”

The final decision by Government is expected by February 14th.

Stephen Sumner, LDRS