The start date for Portsmouth’s clean air zone (CAZ) has been set as 29 November, following approval from Portsmouth City Council.
During its October cabinet meeting the council agreed that non-compliant commercial vehicles, which do not meet euro 6 standards if diesel, or below euro 4 standard if petrol, will be charged to enter the zone. This includes buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles and heavy goods vehicles.
Private cars and vans will not be charged in Portsmouth’s Class B charging zone in the southwest of the city, no matter how old the vehicle is.
Cllr Dave Ashmore, cabinet member for community safety and environment, said: “We’ve been working hard to make sure that anyone that may be charged as part of the CAZ has been informed and supported, and in many cases, we’ve been able to offer support for owners to upgrade their non-compliant vehicles. We’ve also made sure that systems are all in place ahead of launch so that it goes as smoothly as possible.
“Although a clean air zone is not our preferred option for improving air quality in Portsmouth, we are required by central government to launch the zone and I will make sure all the details we need to implement the CAZ are in place when we review the recommended launch date.”
Portsmouth City Council was issued with a ministerial directive in March 2020. The CAZ is intended to reduce levels of harmful air pollution in the city by encouraging fewer vehicle trips and allowing people to replace their older, non-compliant vehicles with models that produce fewer emissions. There is still funding available for non-compliant vehicles to upgrade ahead of the CAZ.
Read more: Siemens Mobility awarded Portsmouth clean air zone design contract
