Policy CR11
Air quality
The council will seek to reduce the potential adverse air quality impacts of new developments by:
a) requiring all developments which may be impacted by local sources of poor air quality or may adversely impact local air quality to provide an air quality assessment that considers the potential impacts of pollution from the development on the site and on neighbouring areas and also considers the potential for exposure to pollution levels above or within 5 % of the health-based World Health Organisation Air Quality Guideline Values. The assessment should include separate consideration of the impacts of (i) the construction/demolition phase of development and (ii) the operational phase of development with appropriate mitigation measures highlighted for each phase.
b) requiring mitigation measures to be implemented to reduce exposure to poor air quality particularly of nitrogen oxides (NO2) and small particles (PM2.5, PM10), where developments proposed could result in occupants/occupiers being exposed to pollution levels above or within 5 % of the health-based World Health Organisation Air Quality Guideline Values for these air pollutants.
c) requiring all developments to be 'air quality neutral' and resist development proposals which would materially increase exceedances of local air pollutants above or within 5 % of the health-based World Health Organisation Air Quality Guideline Values and have an unacceptable impact on amenity or health unless the development mitigates this impact through design solutions and/or financial contributions to implement proposals in the Council's Air Quality Action Plan.
d) requiring all major developments in GLA Air Quality Focus Area's to be 'air quality positive' and resist development proposals which would materially increase exceedances of local air pollutants above or within 5 % of the health-based World Health Organisation Air Quality Guideline Values and have an unacceptable impact on amenity or health unless the development mitigates this impact through design solutions and/or financial contributions to implement proposals in the Council's Air Quality Action Plan.
e) Require all development to demonstrate how they plan to meet the GLA emission standards for Non-Road-Mobile-Machinery.
f) Require applicants to consider zero local emission emergency backup power facilities for development sites (in the operational phase) early in the design process, including secondary mains electricity power supply or Battery Storage Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS). Non-combustion solutions are expected.
g) Resist proposals for solid / wood burning heating or catering systems and require applications including commercial cooking to demonstrate how they will mitigate their impact on air quality.
h) Require applicants to give consideration to the actions identified in the Council's Air Quality Action Plan when designing and delivering development.
5.101 Air Quality and Climate Change are key priorities for the council, as well as being some of the important issues of our time globally. Many of the actions we can take to improve air quality will also have carbon benefits, and vice versa. As a result, it is important for the Council to integrate our air quality and climate policies, to maximise the benefits of our work.
5.102 Air pollution is the largest environmental threat to public health in the UK, and up to 36,000 premature deaths each year are attributable to air pollution exposure – that's 20 times more than the number of deaths caused by road traffic collisions. Hammersmith & Fulham is the tenth worst local authority in England for air pollution - with 7.4% of deaths in 2022 linked to toxic air, according to Public Health England.
5.103 Air pollution also has an impact on health indoors as people spend a substantial amount of their lives indoors (often 80-90%) and so these locations can represent a significant source of exposure to air pollution. There is wide range of sources of indoor air pollution including the use of appliances such as solid/liquid fuel heaters (wood, coal, oil), gas boilers, gas and solid fuel cookers.
Air quality management areas
5.104 The whole of Hammersmith and Fulham is an Air Quality Management Area for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2 ) and particulate matter (PM10) and the council is implementing measures to help meet national air quality objectives for these and other pollutants. New developments are expected to contribute towards improving local air quality, particularly where they include potentially major new sources of emissions or could significantly increase traffic-generated emissions. Some developments such as schools, nurseries, hospitals and care homes for the elderly and also housing, may be particularly affected by the potential impacts of poor air quality on the occupants of the development.
5.105 Air Quality and Climate Change are key priorities for the council, as well as being some of the important issues of our time globally. Many of the actions we can take to improve air quality will also have carbon benefits, and vice versa. As a result, it is important for the Council to integrate our air quality and climate policies, to maximise the benefits of our work.
Air quality assessments
5.106 The whole of Hammersmith and Fulham is an Air Quality Management Area for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10), and the council is implementing measures to help meet the health-based World Health Organisation Air Quality Guideline Values for these and other health impacting pollutants. New developments are expected to contribute towards improving local air quality, particularly where they include potentially major new sources of emissions or could increase vehicle traffic-generated emissions. Some developments such as Housing, schools, nurseries, Medical Facilities such as hospitals, and care homes for the elderly, may be particularly affected by the potential impacts of poor air quality on the occupants and users of the development.
5.107 The sources of PM2.5 currently within Hammersmith & Fulham are varied with the largest current contributor being Road Transport, followed by Commercial Cooking as the second largest source. Commercial cooking PM2.5 emissions account for 23% of total PM2.5 emissions in Hammersmith & Fulham. However, according to LAEI 2022 by 2030 Road Transport and Commercial Cooking are expected to account for roughly the same quantity of PM2.5 emissions in the borough.
Air Quality Focus Areas
5.108 Air Quality Focus Areas are areas defined by the GLA that comprise locations that not only exceed the EU annual mean limit values but are also locations with high human exposure. As such, boroughs are required to have particular regard to reducing emissions within these areas.
5.109 As a result, Air Quality Assessment for major developments in the borough's regeneration areas and GLA Air Quality Focus Area's (AQFA) within the borough should include 'air quality positive' assessments with reference to GLA Air Quality Positive London Plan Guidance.