Find out how we review air quality across the borough, and view our Annual Status Report on air quality.
Annual Status Report 2025
The Annual Status Report (ASR 2025) is our annual review of air quality across the whole district. This is a statutory duty and we follow DEFRA LAQM statutory Technical and Policy guidance.
DEFRA review
The air quality Annual Status Report (ASR) for 2025 has been completed and sent to DEFRA for appraisal. DEFRA review all Local Authority ASRs and provide commentary on the report. They determine if the report follows the statutory guidance and will either approve the report or make recommendations to be followed.
Main Conclusions for ASR 2025
The Key findings of the ASR 2025 are as follows:
- No exceedances of the National Air Quality Strategy standards were identified for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) during 2024.
- This is the fifth continuous year where compliant results have been observed with no exceedances of the NO2 annual mean objective. The last time an annual mean exceedance occurred was in 2019 (Railway Rd AQMA Site No 2).
- Trends in NO2 following the first Covid lock-down year of 2020 showed a marked reduction of around 20% in the annual mean NO2 concentrations. The concern had been the extent of traffic rebound, but annual mean NO2 concentrations have shown a consistent and gradual reduction since, with all results now at least 10% below the NO2 objective (40 µg/m3).
- We went out to public consultation on an updated Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) early in 2024 and after taking into account comments the updated AQAP was adopted through Council (September 2024). At the same time and due to continued period of compliance with Gaywood Clock AQMA this was also agreed to be revoked.
- In 2024 we assessed 111 planning applications. The most significant 25 have been listed in the ASR in Appendix C Table C.1.
- Modelling of the larger/major developments shows they are unlikely to significantly impact overall NO2 levels. The contributions from these larger developments on annual mean NO2 are described in the ASR Appendix C
- Three new NO2 diffusion tube sites were added in 2024 to help monitor any additional traffic from the Florence Fields development on the Gaywood junction.
- An Earthsense Zephyr was installed in June 2024 along Railway Road where we observe highest NO2 levels. It went live from the start of August 2024. The station is useful to observe trends in pollution levels ahead of any road traffic layout changes as a result of the proposed Gyratory and Southgates transport schemes in King’s Lynn.
- No exceedances of PM10 objectives level were noted during 2024.
- No exceedances of the PM2.5 national annual mean level were noted during 2024
Priorities for 2025/26
Our main priorities for 2024/25 are to:
- A cabinet report will be put forward by Autumn 2025 to revoke Railway Rd AQMA given its continued compliance with the NO2 annual mean over the last 5-years, and no developments as likely to significantly impact the levels.
- Orders revoking the AQMAs plus final AQAP will be submitted to LAQM portal following the Cabinet report and submission of this ASR.
- On revocation of the remaining Railway Rd AQMA the AQAP will be replaced with an Air Quality Strategy (AQS) to improve air quality in due course.
- The AQS will sit under a county-wide AQ Framework that is being commissioned by Norfolk County Council in collaboration with the districts.
- We will continue to attend and work jointly with the Norfolk countywide Air Quality Group.
- In support of the national population exposure reduction target for PM2.5 we will continue to work with Norfolk County Council’s public health specialists to develop a health-based West Norfolk air quality project focussing on PM10 & PM2.5 across the district by targeting the principal sources within this council’s control.
- We will carry out the annual review and amend the monitoring programme to ensure monitoring locations remain valid, are representative of public exposure and provide suitable level of data acquisition.
- Continue to collaborate closely with partners to implement King’s Lynn Transport Strategy and assess regeneration and traffic management projects which will assist with reducing traffic related emissions.
- Continue to review planning applications.
- Submit an ASR in June next year (2026) including progress on the Air Quality Strategy for the BCKLWN area.
This ASR has been reviewed by Norfolk County Council Public Health Team.
We wait for DEFRA to publish their findings.
More information
For more information you can view a copy of the full report below.