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Pollution blackspot in Sussex village
PEOPLE with acute asthma may want to avoid Stonepound Crossroads in Hassocks which is now, officially, one of the most polluted areas in Mid Sussex.
The crossroads has been declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) - the first in the district - because levels of nitrogen dioxide from car exhausts are too high.
Mid Sussex District Council says it believes “queuing vehicles at the traffic lights and the topography of the area, with part of the road set in a cutting” are to blame.
But former Hassocks Parish Council chairman Noel Thomas says the latest wave of house building has compounded the problem.
By law, the district council has to assess air quality for a range of pollutants and compare the results with ‘safe’ levels set by legislation.
The recommended level for nitrogen dioxide in the environment is set at 40µgm3 measured as an annual mean (January to December) but the level at the crossroads is 50 µgm3.
Like many pollutants, nitrogen dioxide can aggravate asthma symptoms and irritate the lining of the lungs.
The district council is producing an action plan over the next 18 months to identify measures that can be taken to improve the air quality. Measures could include asking drivers to switch off their vehicle engines while queuing, for example.
The council is working with West Sussex County Council, residents and other agencies to produce the action plan but says: “Where we identify simple low-cost actions that can be taken to improve matters, we will seek to implement these as soon as possible.” The pollution problem comes as no surprise to former Hassocks Parish Council chairman Noel Thomas who gave evidence to a public planning inquiry on the Mackie Avenue Housing development in the village.
Mr Thomas warned of “long queues” at Stonepound if the development of 250 homes went ahead. The development, known as Clayton Mills, was upheld at the inquiry and most of the homes have since been built.
Mr Thomas said: “We’re just adding more houses and relying on old services that are stretched to the limit.
“Stonepound Crossroads always has been a bottleneck and common sense tells you that you can’t just add more and more houses without improving the roads.”
Other Air Quality Management Areas exist in the county, notably in Chichester and Brighton.
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Weather for Haywards Heath
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 13 C to 25 C
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