Southampton City Council has scrapped plans to introduce a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) that would have seen non-Euro VI lorries facing £100-per-day charges.

The Council announced the U-turn after receiving more than 9,000 responses to their public consultation. New studies revealed that nitrogen dioxide levels in Southampton would be within legal limits in 2020 and a charging CAZ scheme wouldn’t deliver compliance any sooner. Nottingham and Derby local authorities have also opted for non-charging plans, including investment in cleaner air vehicle technologies to reduce emissions.

Commenting on the move, Road Haulage Association (RHA) Chief Executive, Richard Burnett said, “This sends out a clear message to town halls across the country that CAZ schemes are a flawed concept – they’re short sighted and anti-business. It’s a victory for common sense.”

But hauliers operating in Leeds still face an uncertain future after the City Council is pressing ahead with plans to charge pre-Euro VI lorries £50-per-day to enter its CAZ. The government rejected the city’s bid for funding in November sparking fears that operators could be charged even more.

The RHA criticised the Leeds plans saying that they over-estimated the numbers of Euro VI lorries that would operate in the CAZ and were promoting retrofit devices to reduce emissions from older lorries, even though there is no suitable product on the market.