Bexley / Planning & development
Air quality assessment in Bexley
Air quality evidence for development in Bexleyheath, Erith, Belvedere, Welling and the wider borough. Connect the A2 corridor, future occupants, construction activity and nearby sources to a proportionate planning brief.
Define the baseline, assess the change and connect the findings to design.
Discuss your projectLocal planning framework
The adopted 2023 Local Plan, London policy and the June 2026 Design Guide update.
A measured baseline
Four automatic locations, a separate targeted tube campaign and pollutant-specific evidence.
A practical evidence plan
Connect road traffic, exposure, dust and plant while design choices remain open.
01 / Local context
A site-specific brief for Bexley
A2, Falconwood and Welling
A kerbside result beside the A2 answers a different question from a background monitor. Check road distance, junctions, occupied façades and intake heights when selecting baseline evidence.
Erith, Belvedere and Slade Green
Review traffic, servicing, energy plant and the actual neighbouring land uses. Industrial or combustion sources need source-specific consideration where their influence reaches the proposed receptors.
Sensitive uses and construction
Schools, homes and care settings need an exposure review alongside the development’s own emissions. Map demolition, earthworks, vehicle access and sensitive neighbours before selecting dust controls.
02 / Measured evidence
Read the latest year alongside the trend
The council’s 2025 reporting shows lower NO₂ than in 2019 at these two locations, with an increase from 2024 to 2025. A station result is one part of the project baseline.
Measured annual NO₂ / 2019–2025
Two local records, distinct surroundings
Concentrations at the monitoring inlet, in µg/m³. The dashed line marks the 40 µg/m³ annual objective.
GB6 / A2 Falconwood
Kerbside
19.9 µg/m³ in 2025
BX1 / Slade Green
Urban background
16.4 µg/m³ in 2025
View the annual values
| Year | GB6 | BX1 |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 36 | 22 |
| 2020 | 27 | 18 |
| 2021 | 27 | 19 |
| 2022 | 22 | 18 |
| 2023 | 17.3 | 16 |
| 2024 | 17 | 15 |
| 2025 | 19.9 | 16.4 |
Council ASR: automatic annual NO₂ table. 2025 NO₂ capture: GB6 98.5%; BX1 81.1%. GB6’s 2023 value, 17.3 µg/m³, was annualised. Table values are at the monitor, without distance adjustment.
03 / Monitoring and methods
Particles, tubes and the right evidence layer
| Station | NO₂ | PM₁₀ | PM₂.₅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| BX1 Slade Green | 16.4 | 15.3 | 9.7 |
| BX2 Belvedere Primary School | 15.6 | 15.7 | 9.3 |
| BQ7 Belvedere school site | 14.6 | 14 | 8.9 |
| GB6 A2 at Falconwood | 19.9 | 18.7 | 9.8 |
Council ASR annual tables · Current network information. Values describe monitoring sites; exposure and proposed sources require a site-specific review.
Tubes: a targeted campaign
The council reports no non-automatic monitoring during 2025. Its January 2024–January 2025 diffusion-tube campaign investigated spatial variation around Focus Areas; it was not designed as a long-term trend survey.
Exposure and measurement position
GB6 is one metre from the road kerb and ten metres from relevant exposure. The three background sites have different surroundings. Select data for the assessment question rather than simply choosing the closest point.
Other pollutants
The ASR also reports sulphur dioxide at Slade Green and ozone at three sites. Ozone is a regional secondary pollutant; an NO₂ result alone does not describe the complete pollutant picture.
Use a quality-controlled evidence hierarchy
Keep ratified annual measurements, live readings, indicative sensors and Defra background information identifiable. Record the measurement year, capture, method and any adjustment used.
04 / Policy and submission
Apply the adopted policy and actual checklist
Adopted Local Plan and London SI1
Bexley adopted its Local Plan on 26 April 2023. Its replacement-policy schedule directs the former ENV41 air-quality policy to London Plan SI1. Use the adopted development plan and current London air-quality guidance together.
A borough-wide AQMA
The designation covers the borough for annual-mean NO₂ and 24-hour PM₁₀. Defra records its declaration on 1 March 2007. Monitoring below an objective does not itself revoke a designation or remove assessment requirements.
Actual validation document
The current application gateway links the Planning application requirements PDF. Its air-quality entry includes major development in or adjacent to an AQMA, combustion plant and potentially polluting activities. Read the relevant application requirements with current policy and methods.
New design guidance in 2026
Design Guide SPD Part 2 was adopted on 29 June 2026. It includes Area Types, alterations/extensions, Small Sites and a Technical Handbook. Coordinate the air-quality response with layout, openings, servicing and building design.
Keep assessment outputs separate
Operational impact and exposure assessment, Air Quality Neutral evidence and construction-dust controls answer different questions. Assemble the relevant documents into a coordinated submission rather than relying on one certificate or headline.
Future plan changes
The development-plan gateway links the Local Development Scheme 2025. A programme for review is not an adopted replacement policy. Check the stage of later publications when submitting.
Local Plan · Published validation requirements · Application gateway · Council AQMA information · Defra AQMA register · Design Guide and supplementary guidance
05 / Assessment to design
Make the assumptions and design response traceable
Baseline and opening year
Identify the baseline year, anticipated occupation, background data and transport assumptions. Explain cumulative development and avoid counting the same changes twice.
Exposure, energy and ventilation
Show occupied rooms, terraces, windows, intakes and discharges in plan and section. Coordinate air quality with noise, overheating and plant selection while options remain open.
Mitigation and verification
Connect the assessment findings to drawings, specifications and construction controls. Define any monitoring purpose and the action to take when an agreed trigger is reached.
Local practice / Assessment into design
How local evidence shapes a project brief
2–8 Danson Road: a historical assessment
The October 2019 submitted AQA considered A221/A207 traffic at lower-storey receptors and central-plant emissions at upper levels. Its mitigation chapter addressed construction dust, plant maintenance and travel measures. The useful lesson is to assess source and receptor height together, then connect the recommendations to the design.
Translate conditions into a workable plan
Bexley’s 2025 reporting describes Construction Management and Logistics Plans, dust controls and NRMM conditions. Its standard plan covers phasing, access, truck routes, wheel washing and monitoring. Extract the actual permission’s requirements into a coordinated construction brief before selecting equipment.
2–8 Danson Road AQA, October 2019, sections 3.4–3.6 and 6 · Council construction-condition reporting, 2025. The historical example describes submitted analysis and recommendations; completion and implementation outcomes have not been verified.
06 / Interactive project checklist
Bexley evidence planner
Answer five questions to assemble a starting brief. Keep uncertain points visible by choosing “Not sure yet”. Answers are processed in this page.
This planner organises a project brief. It does not decide legal requirements or demonstrate compliance.
07 / What is changing
Keep emerging material and later evidence in view
The 2026–2031 action programme
The ASR action-progress page identifies the current adopted Air Quality Action Plan 2026–2031. Follow the delivery updates separately from the adopted planning framework and the site’s actual conditions.
New guidance and later evidence
Review subsequent annual reports, the Local Plan review programme and Design Guide updates. Keep proposed initiatives separate from completed works and verified measurements.
Council plan status and programme · Action-plan and monitoring updates.
08 / Start with the available information
Start your Bexley air quality brief
Send the address, planning reference, proposed use and available drawings. Include council comments, transport information, plant and ventilation details, and the construction programme.
For a revised scheme, add its expected occupation year and the changes from any previous assessment.
Questions / Local answers
Bexley air-quality FAQs
Is all of Bexley in an Air Quality Management Area?
Yes. The current designation covers the whole borough for annual-mean nitrogen dioxide and 24-hour PM₁₀. A lower recent monitoring result does not automatically revoke the AQMA.
Which local planning policy should the assessment use?
Use the adopted Bexley Local Plan with London Plan SI1 and current London guidance. The Local Plan’s replacement schedule directs the former ENV41 air-quality policy to SI1.
Does Bexley have diffusion-tube monitoring?
The council describes a targeted January 2024–January 2025 campaign around Air Quality Focus Areas. It reports no non-automatic monitoring during 2025. The campaign investigated spatial variation rather than a long-term trend.
What does the latest NO₂ monitoring show?
The two displayed station records are lower in 2025 than in 2019, but both increased from 2024. Use the measured location and data-quality information when interpreting a project baseline.
Are particles and other pollutants relevant?
Yes. The automatic network reports PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅, with additional sulphur-dioxide and ozone results in the ASR. Select pollutants using the actual development sources, neighbouring activities and exposure.
Can a result beside the A2 represent my site?
Only if its surroundings and measurement position are suitable for the assessment question. Check road distance, receptor height, local sources and background conditions before using it.
What changed in the Design Guide during 2026?
The council adopted Part 2 on 29 June 2026. Its four documents cover area types, alterations and extensions, small sites and technical implementation. Coordinate air quality with the relevant design guidance.
Does every project need construction monitoring?
Monitoring should reflect the dust-risk assessment, applicable guidance and any planning condition. Define its purpose and response arrangements; the council’s annual application statistics do not create a universal monitoring threshold.
Bexley / Your next step
Discuss your air quality project
Send the site, proposal and planning stage. Include any council request and programme constraints so ACP can identify the assessment steps.
Your details are handled under our privacy policy.
Evidence / Checked 20 October 2026
Bexley guidance and sources
- 2025 annual monitoring tables
- Monitoring network and methods
- ASR executive summary
- Council AQMA description
- Air Quality Action Plan 2026–2031 progress
- 2025 planning evidence return
- Adopted Local Plan and current status
- Planning submission gateway
- Published application information requirements
- Design Guide SPD and supplementary guidance
- Development plan and review programme
- Defra local-authority dashboard
- Defra AQMA register
- 2–8 Danson Road submitted AQA, October 2019
- Construction, dust and NRMM guidance
Measurement years, report labels and policy status are identified separately. Retain data-quality qualifications when applying borough evidence to a particular proposal.