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Find out about Guildford air quality management areas​

As a local council, we monitor air quality in the borough. If air quality in the borough does not meet the national standard, we will draw up an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and draft an action plan to improve the air quality in that area.

We currently have the following three AQMAs:

Air Quality Management Area - Guildford town centre

The Guildford town centre AQMA was declared on 21 October 2021. This was following approval by the Guildford Joint Committee. View the AQMA order and site Plan (PDF) [688KB] .

The AQMA was declared due to:

  • Exceedances/potential exceedances of annual air quality for NO2 at several locations. (Diffusion tubes at Portsmouth road and Millbrook were found to show initial evidence of exceedance.)
  • Detailed air quality assessment using 2019 data

Further information is available in our recent Annual Status Reports and Guildford town centre  Air Quality Detailed Assessment (PDF) [8MB]

Next Action

Once an AQMA is declared, We have a statutory duty to produce an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP). It outlines actions to be delivered to improve air quality within the declared AQMA. We are producing a Draft AQAP with the inputs from key stakeholders. The Draft AQAP is planned to be published by January 2022 for full public consultation. Please keep following this page for any updates.

Reference documents 

Air Quality Management Area - The Street Shalford

The Shalford AQMA was declared on 5 July 2019, following approval by the Guildford Joint Committee. View the AQMA order and site plan (PDF) [70KB]  The monitoring in Shalford started in 2018 at two locations using diffusion tubes. The annual air quality objective for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) of 40 micorgrams per cubic meter (µg/m3) was found to be at a higher level at one receptor location. 

A further detailed assessment was completed in February 2019, which predicted that the annual air quality level is likely to exceed at the location to the west of the A281 on the Street, Shalford.

The source of NO2 in the area is linked to road traffic emissions. 

Air Quality Action Plan for Shalford

An  Air Quality Action Plan for Shalford (PDF) [642KB]  has been produced, outlining a number of measures that are likely to offer the best opportunity to improve air quality in the area. 

Reference documents

Air Quality Management Area - The Street, Compton

Guildford Borough Council AQMA Order (No.1) 2018 came into effect on 1 February 2018 and covers a small section of B3000 The Street, Compton.

View a copy of the AQMA Order and site plan (PDF) [73KB]  showing the AQMA boundary.

Compton Air Quality Action Plan 2019

The first  draft AQAP (PDF) [1MB]  was published and consulted on in 2017.

Following the consultation on the draft AQAP 2017, the action plan was revised in 2019. The action plan adopted is to implement the ban on right hand turn into Down Lane. View the  Compton Air Quality Action Plan 2019 (PDF) [1MB]