Air Quality Management Areas in Adur and Worthing

Areas within Adur and Worthing that do not meet national air quality standards because levels of air pollution exceed the national objectives are designated Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs).

Following designation we must produce Air Quality Action Plans (AQAPs) for these areas, identifying what measures will be introduced to help improve air quality.

As the main cause of air pollutants in AQMAs is road traffic, some actions involve Highways England, who are responsible for the A27 and West Sussex County Council, who are responsible for all other roads in the area.

Other actions focus on reducing emissions from various other sources across Adur and Worthing which also contribute to higher levels of pollution.

Where there are no AQMAs, the Council must produce an Air Quality Strategy outlining how the Council intends to improve air quality across the District.

Adur AQMAs:

There are no AQMAs in Adur.

We are currently producing an Air Quality Strategy for Adur.

See also: Local air quality reports

Worthing AQMAs:

The Worthing Grove Lodge (A27 Upper Brighton Road) AQMA was declared in 2010 as levels of nitrogen dioxide exceeded national limits. Following further assessment the AQMA was extended to include the area around Lyons Farm and Offington Corner (A27/A24 junction) in 2014.

The map below shows the current designated AQMA:

AQMA - A27 Upper Brighton Road, Worthing

See our Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) for Worthing to find out what we are doing to help improve local air quality:

See also: Local air quality reports

Air quality advice for developers

When planning any development, the impact on air quality needs to be considered. Local authorities across Sussex have developed planning guidance to help developers assess and mitigate any potential impact that new developments may have on local air quality.

The guidance deals with the pollutants regulated by local authorities and includes advice on the steps required to assess and mitigate the impact that new developments may have on local air quality.

We recommend developers follow this guidance and contact us as early as possible during the planning application process to discuss any site-specific considerations. This will help avoid any unnecessary delays. See:

For more information regarding air quality considerations and planning please see:

Contact us

We always welcome the views of members of the local community on how to reduce levels of pollution. If you'd like to get in touch with the Public Health & Regulation team please use the online form below, stating 'Air pollution' as the nature of your enquiry:

Further information

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Page last updated: 14 February 2024

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