Current plans to introduce a Clean Air Zone in Birmingham to reduce air pollution are likely to have a negative impact on local builders unless mitigation measures are put in place, say Birmingham’s builders’ merchants.
In October, Cabinet Minister for clean streets, recycling and environment on Birmingham City Council, Cllr Lisa Trickett approved plans to introduce a Clean Air Zone for Birmingham which includes access restrictions and penalty charging by 2020.
In a response to a Government consultation released to the press today (27/01/2017), builders’ merchants across the country have raised concerns that local Clean Air Zones may impact negatively on the local economy in Birmingham by slowing down building projects.
Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) West Midlands Chair, Neil Lawrence, Managing Director of Gibbs and Dandy, said:
“As a local resident and business owner of course I support the council’s intentions to make our air cleaner.
“However, as a local merchant with 28 local builders and timber merchants, including in Birmingham, I am concerned that the Clean Air Zones policy, as it currently stands, will slow down construction locally.
“My business relies on HGV lorries and flatbed trucks to deliver our products to building sites and would welcome a conversation with the Council to discuss alternatives to the access restrictions and penalty charges that are due to be imposed.
“Alternative measures could be just as effective at improving air quality.”
Builders merchants believe that if the Council proceeds with the implementation of access restrictions and penalty charging by 2020 they must consider helping firms to replace old, polluting vehicles with viable and clean equivalents.
John Newcomb, Managing Director of the BMF, said:
“With combined sales of over £25 billion and 4800 branches across the UK, the BMF leads the way in helping to ensure that builders use environmentally friendly products.
“However, we question the fairness in allowing different cities to adopt different criteria, such as excluding private cars from the charges.
“We believe that instead of the proposed policy, better traffic management locally should be emphasised to bring about lower emissions’ levels, alongside steps to discourage the parking of diesel cars in Zones.”