Air quality and planning

Kensington and Chelsea Council help manage potential emissions from any development (from project outset to development operation) through the planning process by reviewing applications and providing conditions for the developers to adhere to.

Developers are expected to consider the following guidance documents when making a planning application;

1. ‘The Control of Dust and Emissions during Construction and Demolition’, produced by the Mayor of London and available via the GOV.UK website;
2. ‘Guidance on Monitoring in the Vicinity of Demolition and Construction Sites’, produced by IAQM and available via the IAQM website;
3. ‘Guidance on Land-Use Planning and Development Control: Planning for Air Quality’, produced by IAQM and available via the IAQM website;

Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM), particularly from the construction sector, is a significant contributor to London’s air pollution.  The Borough lies within the Mayors NRMM Low Emission Zone, which requires all engines with a power rating between 37 kW meet an emission standard based on the engine emission ”stage”.

• For construction machinery operating in the Central Activities Zone it must be stage IV and stage IIIB in the rest of London.
• Stages IIIB and IV have not been defined for machines with constant speed engines, such as generators. This means that these machines will need to meet stage V.
• Stage IV has also not been directly defined for variable speed engines smaller than 56 kW. In most cases these engines will need to meet stage V if they are in the Central Activities Zone and Opportunity Areas (OAs).

To find out which zone your development falls into or for more information visit the NRMM website.