Air quality and climate change

STOP PRESS: An updated version of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was published on 12 December 2024. This content is being reviewed in accordance with the latest version.

Context

Air quality is becoming an increasingly important concern, for both central and local government, and developers and promoters of infrastructure projects. Policies to manage and improve air quality have largely been driven by the Archived EU Ambient Air Quality Directive 2008/50/EC, as it had effect immediately before 11 pm on 31 December 2020, which set legally binding limits for concentrations of major air pollutants that impact public health. Defra carries out an annual national assessment of air quality to determine compliance with limits and the local air quality management regime requires district and unitary authorities to regularly review and assess air quality in their area.

The UK has been in breach of the Archived EU Ambient Air Quality Directive 2008/50/EC for some time, because of its failures to achieve compliance with the limit values for nitrogen dioxide levels in a large number of of its zones and agglomerations. As such, the government has a legal obligation

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