Welcome to Uttlesford

Uttlesford is a predominately rural area with a population of around 74,000 in over 50 villages and hamlets, but includes the larger market towns of Saffron Walden and Great Dunmow, the smaller towns of Stansted Mountfitchet and Thaxted, and new developing settlements in Felsted, Takeley and Canfield.

With the M11, A120 and Stansted Airport within the District in not surprising that the principle sources of air pollution are transport related with nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and fine particles (known as PM₁₀) being the main concerns. The Council has been monitoring levels of air quality for over 15 years and has two permanent continuous monitoring stations in Saffron Walden and Takeley, and mobile equipment which is currently positioned close to the M11 and Stansted Airport. We also have a network of passive diffusion tubes which provide a general indicator of pollution levels averaged out over monthly periods.

Although pollution levels can be quite high very close to the motorway and the airport it is in those areas where people live near to narrow congested streets, such as in the historic centre of Saffron Walden, where air pollution from nitrogen dioxide is of most concern. Three small areas in the centre of the town have been declared air quality management areas (AQMAs) because nitrogen dioxide levels close to people’s homes are at levels in excess of the government annual average standard for this pollutant. This means that particular attention has to be paid to the air quality impact of potential developments in and around these areas and also that an action plan has been developed in partnership with the County Council to look at ways of reducing congestion and improving traffic flows.

Details of the reports on air quality and monitoring data can be found by using the tabs on this page.