Cleaner air across West Northamptonshire brings real benefits for residents

11 December 2025

Residents across West Northamptonshire are continuing to breathe cleaner, healthier air as new findings show another year of improvement in local air quality. West Northamptonshire Council’s latest Air Quality Annual Status Report confirms that air quality continued to improve throughout 2024, helping to make our communities safer, healthier and more pleasant places to live, work and visit.

Cleaner air means a lot to local people, it reduces the risk of health problems such as asthma and heart disease, supports children’s development, and makes our towns and villages more enjoyable spaces for everyone. This year’s report shows that efforts made across the area are working, and people are already seeing the benefits.

The report confirms that only one location in the whole of West Northamptonshire recorded nitrogen dioxide levels above the national limit and one location was within 10% of the air quality objective in 2024. Just two years earlier, there were two locations which exceeded the national limit and eleven sites within 10% of it. This dramatic fall means cleaner streets, safer walking routes and healthier neighbourhoods.

Thanks to this progress, two areas on the main routes into Northampton, the M1 corridor and the A45, have now met national standards for more than three years and the previous Air Quality Management Areas have been revoked. This marks a major milestone in reducing pollution where many residents travel, work and go to school.

Although a new Air Quality Management Area was introduced in Bradshaw Street in late 2024, further checks now show that levels there have improved too and on target to continue to meet national limits. Three other areas in Northampton, Victoria Promenade, Campbell Square and St Michael’s and a fourth in Watling Street, Towcester, have also shown sustained improvement and action will be taken to revoke those Air Quality management Areas early in 2026.   Monitoring will continue to ensure that reduced levels are maintained.  

“These improvements are good news for everyone who lives and works in West Northamptonshire. Cleaner air means healthier families, safer streets and stronger communities. We’re really proud of the progress so far, and we’re pleased that DEFRA have endorsed our findings and support our direction of travel. so that every resident can enjoy the benefits of cleaner, safer air, now and in the future.”Cllr Andrew Last, Cabinet Member for HR, Corporate and Regulatory Services

A big part of these improvements comes from long-term investment aimed at giving residents cleaner travel choices and reducing pollution at its source. More than 50 new electric buses are on their way and will be operating along some of the busiest routes in Northampton and Kingsthorpe from March 2026. This will make journeys quieter, cleaner and safer for passengers while cutting emissions.

The Council has also secured £2.8 million to install 1,450 new electric vehicle charging points across the area, helping more residents who want to switch to cleaner vehicles.

To support healthier homes, a two-year DEFRA-funded project is helping people understand the impact of domestic solid fuel burning, such as wood stoves and open fires. The project provides simple, helpful advice about choosing cleaner fuels and using appliances more efficiently to reduce smoke and protect family health. Residents can find easy-to-follow guidance by searching online for The Burning Question webpage.

Residents can read the full Air Quality Annual Status Report on the air quality page.