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Air Quality: The Good News…and the Why It’s Not “Job Done” Yet
In fact, many local authorities — including Cambridge, Bath and parts of London — are even revoking their Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) as pollutant levels fall below the statutory limits that underpin national planning policy.
Despite a great deal of scepticism, targeted measures such as the London ULEZ are working – alongside the benefits of cleaner vehicles, and the move away from combustion energy solutions for heating, and better urban design.
Does that mean Air Quality is now ‘sorted’? Not quite, and here is why:
- Compliance isn’t everything – new WHO targets and local authority policies mean a site might still be deemed unacceptable in health or planning terms.
- Councils are cautious – even where AQMAs are revoked, planning teams still request Air Quality Assessments, Mitigation Strategies, and Management Plans, in line with Local Plan policy and supplementary planning guidance.
- We know more about pollutants – even small amounts of brake and tyre wear can harm health and we can advise where this needs to be considered.
- Indoor air matters – we spend 90–95% of our time indoors, and home pollution is often higher than outdoors. BREEAM v7 now rewards projects for addressing indoor air quality.
At Cass Allen, whilst still helping you to gain planning approval, our focus is shifting to demonstrating that developments actively support health and policy ambitions. This means:
- Navigating diverse local and regional guidance to meet planning requirements.
- Designing air quality positive strategies for planning gain.
- Future-proofing projects against tightening guidance regarding fine particulate matter.
- Building mitigation packages that satisfy planners before objections arise.
If you’re planning, designing or managing a site in 2025 and beyond, air quality is not just a box to tick — it’s an opportunity to enhance both community wellbeing and your project’s performance, reputation, and long-term value.
If you’d like us to review an upcoming scheme or help shape a mitigation strategy, just reply to this email — we’re always happy to talk through options.
