Dundee City Council have launched a public consultation on the proposed introduction of a new Low Emission Zone.

The council are delivering flyers to thousands of addresses inside the inner ring road encouraging people to take part.

Kevin Cordell, convener of Dundee City Council's community safety and public protection committee said: "This is one of the biggest proposed changes to the city in decades so it is important that as many people as possible take part in the LEZ consultation.

"We want Dundee to have the best-informed and most transparent debate about our air quality, our health and the kind of place we want to be."

Alan Ross convener of Dundee City Council's city development committee added: "Finding just the right balance between improving air quality and ensuring that the city's commerce and industry is not brought to a standstill is a critical part of the consultation.

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"We will only do that if as many people as possible tell us what they think of the proposals and which option they would choose for the Low Emission Zone."

Under the proposals the city's inner ring road would form the boundary of the LEZ, access to which would only be available to certain types of vehicle that meet stringent air quality criteria.

To achieve air quality compliance for NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 the LEZ must exclude all non-compliant buses but the consultation will ask what, if any, other types of vehicle should also be penalised for entering the zone.

This could mean all older HGVs, LGVs and diesel cars registered on or before August 31, 2015 and all petrol cars registered before 2006.

A programme of consultation meetings is also underway with the community councils and forums most affected by the proposals.

The Dundee LEZ will contribute to the broader city objectives and the vision to create a healthy, vibrant and attractive city by protecting public health through improving air quality in Dundee and achieving air quality compliance for NO2, PM10 and PM2.5.

Dundee's LEZ will develop an environment that helps to promote more active and sustainable travel choices, contributes to the city's ongoing transformational change and helps to promote Dundee as an inclusive and desirable place to live, invest, visit and learn.

As well as the introduction of an LEZ Dundee City Council is actively encouraging other ways of improving air quality by investing in active travel options, like electric bikes and improving cycling and walking infrastructure.

(MH/JG)