Air quality

Our aim is to maintain the air, land and water in the borough to the highest possible quality. This is done by monitoring the environment, controlling the release of pollution, giving advice and by taking action against those who pollute.

In December 2000, an Air Quality Management Area was set up to cover the borough by the Health and Environment section of Tower Hamlets Council. This means that the air over all of Tower Hamlets is constantly monitored to identify the levels of harmful pollution.

This has shown that a large amount of the pollution in Tower Hamlets comes from vehicle emissions. Other important sources of air pollution are from central heating systems and construction sites.

We have monitoring stations at locations around the borough where levels of fine dust particles and other pollutants are continually recorded. The results are fed to Ceefax, and also published weekly in the Tower Hamlets free paper, East End Life.

We have produced a draft air quality action plan for consultation which contains proposed measures to reduce air pollution to acceptable levels. Please use the links below to download either the report or a summary version.

Summary of the Draft Air Quality Action Plan (PDF, 1.93Mb)
Full Draft Air Quality Action Plan (PDF, 5.12Mb)

Tower Hamlets operate 3 monitoring stations in the borough. These are located at Bethnal Green, Mile End and Poplar. They measure pollutants in real time which means that the pollution levels are constantly being measured and the results recorded.

To view data from these monitoring stations, visit www.londonair.org.uk.

For more information on air quality in Tower Hamlets, contact the environmental health department between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Clean air act approval

The Clean Air Act, 1993, introduced a wide range of new regulations which control smoke emissions, the height of chimneys, and the content and composition of motor fuels.

When specifying chimney heights, local authorities need to take into account a number of relevant factors:

Under section 14 of the Act, unless the height of the chimney has been approved by the local authority, it is an offence to cause or knowingly permit a furnace to be used to:

• burn pulverised fuel
• burn at a rate of 45.4 kg or more an hour any other solid matter or
• burn at a rate equivalent to 366.4 kW or more any liquid or gaseous matter

An application for chimney height approval must contain adequate information to enable the necessary calculations to be carried out.

The local authority must consider an application for approval for chimney height for a furnace and give a written decision within 28 days of receipt, unless it is agreed in writing between the council and the applicant that a longer period is allowed. If we fail to deal with the application within this time period, then approval without qualification can be given.

For further information contact:

Environmental Health
Environmental Protection
Mulberry Place (AH)
PO Box 55739
5 Clove Crescent
London E14 2BG

Tel: 020 7 364 5008
Fax: 020 7364 6831

Email: environmentalhealth@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Pid Nos: 413, 691