The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) will lease space at Leggett Park on the corner of Howard Boulevarde and McDermott Drive to construct the air quality monitoring station.

The 2.5 by 2.4 metre compound will house equipment to monitor wind speed, direction, ambient temperature, humidity and rainfall. It would give insight pollution levels, including from bushfires, dust storms, wood smoke, mining and other activities, a report to councillors last Tuesday stated.

The project is part of the NSW Air Quality Monitoring Network. The station's construction was announced at the State's 2017 Clean Air Summit.

The data, to be uploaded hourly to the OEH website, will enable people suffering asthma and other breathing problems to take precautions if air quality is poor. The council said it could also spark changes in policy and practices to improve conditions. 

OEH settled on Leggett Park for the station, given its open area, with 120-degree sky angle and proximity to the CBD. The council will lease the land for $2500 a year for five years with option for renewal for the same period.

The station will have stairs and a platform with a 10m mast to monitor weather.

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