Context
Birmingham City Council plans to demolish the Perry Barr flyover, which is a major traffic route from Birmingham into West Bromwich East. The concern is that this demolition will exacerbate existing poor air quality issues.
Question
Birmingham City Council's planned demolition of the Perry Barr flyover, which feeds traffic from Birmingham into West Bromwich East, will do nothing to tackle the already poor air quality in the area and cause huge traffic problems for my constituents. Does the Minister agree that local authorities have an obligation to ensure that major roadwork projects, especially on busy highways, improve air quality and ease congestion?
Answer from Rebecca Pow (Minister for Natural Environment, Exchequer Secretary)
Local authorities are required by law to consider the impacts of development on air quality. Local authorities are best placed to take local planning decisions and should take into account a range of factors, including impacts on air quality, the local economy and traffic flow—so my hon Friend raises a good point—when carrying out roadwork projects. In terms of the wider picture, we are providing financial and expert advice to local authorities to tackle air quality.
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