S.L. 549.59 Art. 33Air Quality Action Plan.

(1) Where an order under regulation 32(2) comes into effect, the competent authority shall, before the expiration of the twelve month period beginning with the publication of the order in the Gazette, prepare an Air Quality Action Plan for the area in question, which shall aim to keep the exceedance period as short as possible.

(2) The Action Plan referred to in sub-regulation (1) shall, as a minimum, include:

(a) the information in Schedule 11; and

(b) a statement of any time within which the measures comprised in the action plan are to be implemented.

(3) The Action Plans compiled under sub-regulation (1) shall also include all those measures necessary in order to ensure that the limit values, target values, long term objectives or the national exposure target in Schedule 7 will be complied within the area in question. Action plans shall contain measures which can, through the use of predictive modelling software amongst other techniques, be shown to cause a decrease in the ambient levels of the pollutants concerned in the area in question, and may include amongst other things:

(a) the restriction or rerouting of traffic flows;

(b) temporary bans on the passage of heavy goods vehicles not compliant with certain Euro Standards (to be determined by modelling);

(c) temporary suspension of any commercial or industrial activity having an adverse effect on air quality, such as stone quarrying, stone cutting and polishing, and industrial plants, among others;

(d) measures in relation to ships at berth in nearby ports;

(e) time-limits on the granting of development planning permits; and

(f) suspension of any construction works in the area.

(4) In the compilation of the action plan, the competent authority shall consult the sub-committee appointed under regulation 30.

(5) If the air quality action plan in sub-regulation (1) is triggered by an exceedance of the environmental quality objectives in sub-regulation (3) for more than 1 pollutant then the competent authority shall prepare and implement an integrated air quality action plan targeting all the pollutants concerned.