"It's a good news story," said Vale of Glamorgan Councillor Eddie Williams during last night's cabinet meeting. "It means we've got good air quality."

This came after he announced the Council's intention to revoke the Cogan end of Windsor Road's Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) status, despite a public consultation that showed opposition to the move.

If approved by the Welsh Government, this means pollution levels will no longer be intensely monitored at the location.

The site gained AQMA status in 2013 when annual average levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), known to be road transport derived, exceeded the permitted limit of 40g/m3.

A large automatic monitor placed nearby The Station pub - which measures and reports pollution on a 24/7 basis - has since shown NO2 levels to drop and stabilise significantly below levels considered unsafe.

The Vale of Glamorgan Council say a mixture of good policy and technological advancement are responsible for the area's air becoming cleaner.

The report states that improved bus routes, encouraging cycling and promoting sustainable commuting all contributed to the decline in pollution.

"The air quality since the order has been places shows that it's not just the order but also the transport improvements made around the area and changes in vehicle technology," said Cllr Williams, Vale Cabinet Member for Legal, Regulatory and Planning Services.

Revoking AQMA status will entail removing the Cogan automatic monitor in order to save resources.

A 2019 council survey, which received 23 responses, showed that some residents strongly oppose deactivating the monitor.

When asked if they supported the decision to revoke AQMA status, 67% of respondents voted "NO" while 57% said they were "very concerned" about air pollution in the area.

Nitrogen dioxide has been shown to be particularly harmful to young children, the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions and comorbidities.

The Vale of Glamorgan Council assures residents that air pollution levels will stay within "acceptable standards".

"[We are] removing the real time intense monitoring but will continue to monitor air quality on a less intense basis," said Cllr Peter King, Cabinet Member for Transport.

Cllr Williams also added that although the automatic monitor will be removed, several non-automatic monitors positioned on Windsor Road will continue to compile data that is collected on a less regular basis:

"I would like to assure council, cabinet and the residents of Windsor Road that we will continue to monitor the area but that air quality in that area has reached air quality requirements."

Responding to concerns that air pollution has only temporarily declined due to the pandemic, Cllr Ben Gray clarified that the data was collected before the pandemic began:

"This was data collected from 2019 so it should be even better now due to the pandemic."

Read the full 145 page report here.