London Councils Air Quality and Planning Guidance

What is the London Councils Air Quality and Planning Guidance?

The London Councils Air Quality and Planning Guidance is aimed at:

• developers,
• their consultants, and
• local authorities.

This revised version was endorsed by London Councils Transport and Environment Committee (TEC) on 17 October 2006.

It revises previous guidance issued in 2001 and provides technical advice on how to deal with planning applications that could have an impact on air quality.

If developers and local authorities follow the procedures in this guidance, it will help ensure consistency in the approach to dealing with air quality and planning in London.

UK Air Quality Strategy and Local Air Quality Management

The Government adopted the UK Air Quality Strategy (AQS) in 1997, to deal with local air quality and its impact on health. This was revised as the AQS for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in 2000, which set requirements for local authorities to undertake a process of Local Air Quality Management (LAQM).

As part of this process, local authorities must review and assess air quality and work towards objectives to be achieved between 2003 and 2010. 

Air Quality Management Areas and Air Quality Action Plans

Where the prescribed air quality objectives are unlikely to be met, local authorities must designate Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) and produce an Air Quality Action Plan setting out measures they intend to take to work towards objectives.

By the end of 2006, all London boroughs has declared Air Quality Management Areas for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and / or PM₁₀. The major cause of air pollution in London is road traffic, although, around Heathrow Airport, emissions from aircraft and associated site traffic are an additional problem. Other notable contributions come from

• industrial plant and premises,
• domestic energy production, and
• construction activity.

It should be remembered that background pollutant concentrations in London and the South East are heavily influenced by weather systems that also affect northern Europe.