Air quality project to be carried out at Highland school
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A PILOT project on air quality improvement is to be carried out at a school somewhere in the Highland region.
Highland councillors’ suggestions for a “willing and appropriate” school will be submitted for a decision by road safety and environmental health officers on the most suitable location.
Councillor John Finlayson, chairman of the care, learning and housing committee, said: “This work which will link in directly with the council’s Climate Change Declaration. We all have a responsibility, along with parents, communities and schools, to ensure that our children get to and from school safely, not just by car but by walking, cycling and public transport.
“The project will help inform how we move forward with changing habits and educating people on how to reduce pollution around our schools.”
Councillors welcomed the work already being undertaken by the local authority to improve air quality in the Highlands and specifically at schools. And they noted the continued promotion of the resources available to schools to enable cycling, walking and Safer Streets projects.
The environmental health team will further promote awareness of measures that can be taken by the public and businesses to improve air quality and, where resources permit, carry out projects aimed at reducing idling vehicles at schools.
The council is following the Scottish Government’s Cleaner Air for Scotland strategy, and the legal requirements of local air quality management as set out in the Environment Act 1995.
