AIR pollution levels are plateauing above legal limits in a quarter of Oxford city.

Latest figures from Oxford City Council show that, despite its best efforts to control the problem, dangerous levels of harmful Nitrogen Dioxide are persisting in 24 per cent of areas tested.

What's more, the council's efforts to reduce the levels seem to be having less and less impact as NO2 levels in the most polluted parts of Oxford, which until recently have been coming down, are now plateauing above the EU level limit.

The city council is legally required to monitor air pollution, but has to rely on Oxfordshire County Council, as highways authority in the county, to actually control road use.

The worst part of the city, according to the council's measurements, remains St Clements, at 61 micrograms of NO2 per cubic metre - more than 50 per cent over the EU 40µg/m3 limit.

Levels of NO2 have also gone up around the Westgate shopping centre redevelopment, likely due to road closures, though the highest level in that area is still only 35µg/m3 in Norfolk Street – below the 40µg/m3 limit.

Latest figures from Public Health England estimate that 276 deaths in Oxfordshire in 2014 could be attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution, including NO2.

By comparisson in the same year just 26 people died in road traffic accidents in the county.

Oxford Mail:

One of Oxford City Council's air quality monitoring devices.

The new data on pollution levels comes from Oxford City Council's Air Quality Annual Status Report 2017.

In the past decade, the council helped to bring the levels of roadside NO2 across the city down by an average of 36.9 per cent.

However the new data shows that success is slowing down: between 2011 and 2013, average NO2 levels across the city centre fell by 18.9 per cent, but between 2014 and 2016, average NO2 levels fell by just 3.9 per cent.

The council said the step change between 2011 and 2013 could be attributed to the Low Emission Zone it helped introduce with Oxfordshire County Council, which banned high-emission buses from the city centre. Bus companies began converting their vehicles in the run up to the zone’s introduction in 2014.

What's more, the Government's new Draft Air Quality Action Plan, published last month, stated that even without further action, Oxford was on target to meet the EU air quality limits by 2020.

However the city council disagreed with that assessment and has asked the Government for more funding and powers to tackle the problem.

City councillor John Tanner, board member for air quality, said: "We have seen air pollution levels drop by 36.9 per cent in the last decade. This significant reduction has been due to a wide range of work carried out by the city and county councils, particularly the Low Emission Zone.

"But now we are beginning to see air pollution levels fall much more slowly in Oxford. Another step change in tacking pollution is urgently needed. Oxford City is supporting the idea of a Zero Emission Zone in the city centre to clean up Oxford’s air. Last week we wrote to the Government to request more funding and powers to tackle pollution."

Ruthi Brandt, a Green Party member on Labour-run Oxford City Council, said: "The council's own analysis shows that air pollution is set to worsen in the city centre due to its own poor planning.

"By allowing the huge new Westgate centre to go ahead on council-owned land without insisting on improved public transport provision is going to lead to more traffic and pollution. To make matters worse, the council has given control over parking charges to the Westgate Partnership who are now able to offer discount parking undermining what public transport provision there is and reducing use of the park and rides."