9:49am Tuesday 19th February 2008
By James Calnan
Empty houses could be bought by the council and demolished as a last resort to tackle high levels of pollution on a Colchester road.
Brook Street was declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) more than two years ago after it was discovered levels of nitrogen dioxide would exceed national and European standards by 2010.
Although a draft action plan was drawn up in November 2006, work is still being carried out to find ways of reducing pollution, which is largely caused by congestion on the busy road, and could exacerbate existing health conditions such as asthma.
Possible solutions include traffic management to keep cars moving along the road and the possibility of banning heavy goods vehicles and buses, while innovative paint which can soak up noxious gases may be introduced.
Colchester Council bosses are also looking at placing compulsory purchase orders on homes when they become available, buying and demolishing them, and turning the land into green space.
Beverley Jones, Colchester Council environmental control manager, said: "It obviously has huge financial implications for the authority which I'm not entirely sure we would be able to afford," she said.
"We're trying to look at every single thing and decide which are the most feasible in terms of effect on air quality and our financial constraints."
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