Clean Air Zone

Information for patients and visitors

CAZ is here Birmingham city centre is now a designated Clean Air Zone in order to reduce air pollution. This means that vehicles which do not meet satisfactory emission levels are subject to a clean air charge by Birmingham City Council. This is a fee of £8 per day to enter the zone regardless of how many times you enter that day.

The good news is most people’s cars (around 80%) have low emissions and therefore will not be asked to pay a charge, however the drivers of older/less eco-friendly vehicles which do not meet the standards (known as non-compliant vehicles), will be required to pay the daily charge.

For more information about the Clean Air Zone, please see the Council’s dedicated website  - Brum Breathes www.brumbreathes.co.uk - where you can check your vehicle and read more about the zone and how to pay if your vehicle is non-compliant.

Visitors to Birmingham Children’s Hospital

People attending Birmingham Children’s Hospital and other NHS services within the zone have been granted an exemption from the charge until further notice.

This means if your vehicle is non-compliant and you are visiting Birmingham Children’s Hospital for an appointment or to visit or to drop off a patient, you will not be charged to drive in the Clean Air Zone.

To claim the exemption, you will need to obtain a voucher from the hospital during your visit and enter the code into the Brum Breathes website (www.brumbreathes.co.uk) to cancel the charge. Once the unique voucher code has been redeemed online, any potential charge you would have received will be redacted by Birmingham City Council.

Please note: you must use the code on this voucher on the online portal in order to ensure the charge is not issued - the hospital staff are unable to do this for you or cancel any charges or fines issued by Birmingham City Council

How do I get a voucher?

If you are attending the Emergency Department, please ask for a voucher at the ED Reception.

If you are attending an Outpatient appointment, please show your appointment letter at the hospital's Main Reception Desk to receive a voucher or head to the Reception Desk in Waterfall House.

If you are a parent or carer of a child you can request a voucher for the purposes of admission to an inpatient ward and attending to your child at the hospital. 

Clean Air Zone Medical Exemption Vouchers are not available for any other visitors. Other visitors should arrange to visit with parent/carer or under their own arrangements e.g. using public transport.

 

I'm a blue badge holder and my car is not compliant; do I have to pay the charge?

Blue badge holders will not be exempt from the CAZ charge. If your vehicle is not compliant and you drive in the Clean Air Zone, you will have to pay the charge. However, vehicles registered with a 'disabled' or 'disabled passenger vehicles' tax class 85 will not have to pay.

More information about the eligibility criteria for the disabled tax exemption is available on the Government website - https://www.gov.uk/financial-help-disabled/