Ealing / Planning & development
Air quality assessment in Ealing
From the A40 and Hanger Lane to Southall, Acton and quieter neighbourhood streets, the assessment should start with the source, the proposal and the people who may be affected.
ACP connects air quality assessment, monitoring and mitigation with transport, building services and planning evidence. We help applicants and design teams develop a clear, coordinated brief.
Discuss your projectLocal planning context
Policy 7A, London SI1 and the correct planning authority.
Evidence that fits
Separate roadside nitrogen dioxide, industrial particles and background conditions.
Your assessment brief
Connect traffic, plant, ventilation and construction inputs.
01 / Source and setting
Different parts of Ealing raise different questions
A40, A406 and Hanger Lane
Map road-facing windows, intakes and outdoor space against the junction and main-road network. Traffic changes need to identify affected links, vehicle types and the opening year, rather than relying on a single borough average.
Acton, Horn Lane and Park Royal
Review industrial sources, deliveries, dust and combustion plant alongside traffic. A nitrogen-dioxide assessment alone may not answer the particulate question. Check the OPDC boundary before selecting the development plan and submission route.
Southall, Hanwell and town-centre sites
Bring housing, schools, mixed uses, servicing and energy proposals into one receptor plan. Consider neighbours affected by new emissions as well as future occupants exposed to existing sources.
The AQMA remains borough-wide
Defra records Ealing’s declaration on 14 December 2000 for annual NO₂ and daily PM₁₀. An active designation does not mean every location currently exceeds an objective.
Defra AQMA record · Council Park Royal context · OPDC planning authority
02 / Measured evidence
Roadside nitrogen dioxide has fallen over the longer term
The latest council report covers 2025 and was published in May 2026. Keep its annual results separate from provisional current readings.
Continuing automatic locations
Acton Vale closed in February 2025; its capture was too low for a reported annual value.
Diffusion-tube locations
66 individual tubes, including triplicate co-location sets.
Hanger Lane NO₂
µg/m³ in 2025; annualised with 66.2% capture.
Annual NO₂ / 2019–2025
Two road environments
µg/m³. Dashed line: annual objective of 40.
Hanger Lane Gyratory
EA6 · roadside
34.2 µg/m³ in 2025
2025 NO₂ capture: 66.2%; annualised.
Western Avenue
EI1 · roadside
28.3 µg/m³ in 2025
2025 NO₂ capture: 99.1%.
View annual values
| Year | Hanger Lane | Western Avenue |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 64.5 | 48.6 |
| 2020 | 51.0 | 35.2 |
| 2021 | 49.4 | 35.9 |
| 2022 | 51.5 | 35.2 |
| 2023 | 40.5 | 30.1 |
| 2024 | 36.4 | 28.3 |
| 2025 | 34.2 | 28.3 |
Monitor positions and data-quality adjustments matter when selecting a modelling baseline.
Read the report and quality notes · Current monitoring readings
03 / Particles and interpretation
Check the pollutant as well as the place
| Station | NO₂ | PM₁₀ |
|---|---|---|
| EA6Hanger Lane | 34.2 | 22.9 |
| EI1Western Avenue | 28.3 | 24.8 |
| EA8Horn Lane BAM | 23.9 | 29.5 |
| EI8Horn Lane TEOM | — | 25.7 |
Horn Lane has two PM₁₀ instruments at one physical location. PM₁₀ capture was 88.5–97.5%; keep the instrument series separate.
PM₂.₅ evidence
The report’s PM₂.₅ figures are indicative estimates from PM₁₀, rather than direct measurements. Select suitable measured or modelled evidence for the assessment question.
Diffusion-tube interpretation
Use the reported bias-adjusted annual means and retain any annualisation. Compare co-located instruments separately from tubes at different road distances.
Background selection
A roadside value is not a universal background input. Match the year, setting and pollutant, then account for local sources without counting the same road contribution twice.
04 / Planning and submission
Connect Policy 7A with the right planning route
Adopted development plan
The council’s adopted-plan register includes the 2012 Core Strategy and December 2013 Development Management DPD. Policy 7A addresses emissions, sensitive uses, mitigation and cumulative effects. Part C rejects sensitive uses that achieve acceptable amenity only by substantially sealing users off from their surroundings. Test the layout and exposure before relying on closed windows or filtration.
Older air-quality SPG
The published SPG covers traffic, industrial sources, exposure and modelling inputs. Its references and monitoring inventory are historic. Read it alongside current London policy and technical methods, rather than carrying its old thresholds into a new assessment unchanged.
Application documents
Use the council’s current application gateway for the chosen application type. Include any requested assessment, construction plan and mitigation drawings. A generic validation page does not establish a universal air-quality trigger for every minor proposal.
Old Oak and Park Royal
OPDC determines planning applications within its area and has its own development plan. Locate the site against that boundary before choosing policy references or submission documents.
London Plan SI1 and the local action plan
Keep the impact assessment, Air Quality Neutral calculation and any applicable Air Quality Positive statement identifiable. Their purposes and tests differ. Ealing’s action plan also addresses construction generators, combustion plant and suitable AQN evidence.
Ealing Air Quality Action Plan 2022–27 · London policy and evidence tools
05 / A coordinated design response
Align the assessment with decisions the team can make
Transport and servicing
Identify where journeys change, including the delivery route and fleet. Keep transport assumptions, future baseline and opening year consistent across the application.
Building services and exposure
Map windows, outdoor uses, intakes and flues in three dimensions. Review energy plant and standby generators with operating modes and nearby receptors. Consider ventilation alongside noise, overheating and maintenance.
Construction and local sources
Bring demolition, earthworks, trackout and plant into the dust-management brief. Select inspection and monitoring arrangements that respond to the activities and neighbours rather than using a standard equipment list.
For commercial kitchens, align odour treatment, extract discharge and fan noise with the same drawings. Where emissions have a credible pathway to an ecological receptor, include that question in the scope.
06 / Local practice
Plan the evidence and the delivery controls together
Ealing’s published action plan asks major construction projects to consider alternatives to diesel and petrol generators. It also discusses quantitative evidence for combustion plant and AQN/AQP documentation.
For a site with standby power, separate routine testing, emergency use and construction plant. Use the actual equipment and operating assumptions, then link assessment findings to the submitted mitigation and monitoring commitments.
07 / Interactive project checklist
Ealing evidence planner
Answer five questions to organise the assessment brief. Choose “Not sure yet” where information is missing; those points remain visible in your results.
Answers stay in this page. The planner organises evidence; it does not certify compliance or decide planning requirements.
08 / Your assessment package
What should your Ealing air quality report cover?
The scope follows the proposal and the authority’s request. These are typical workstreams to agree at the start.
01 / Homes and mixed uses
Exposure and development emissions
For road-facing homes or a change of use, assess future occupants, nearby receptors and the scheme’s traffic or plant. Explain the baseline, opening year, modelling assumptions and mitigation. Identify any Air Quality Neutral evidence separately.
02 / Construction and industry
Dust, particles and monitoring
For demolition, earthworks or sites near working premises, identify activities, routes, occupied neighbours and relevant pollutants. Set out the justified controls and, where needed, monitoring locations, review criteria and responses.
03 / Conditions and changes
A traceable submission
For a condition response or revised scheme, use the exact condition and approved report. Explain changes to traffic, equipment, flues or layout. Link the assessment to the current drawings and the commitments being submitted.
Use the London Neutral and Positive evidence planner for regional requirements. Coordinate noise and odour where sources or neighbours overlap. Our air quality service guide explains the wider assessment and monitoring options.
09 / On the horizon
Track the replacement plan and monitoring changes
Ealing submitted its replacement Local Plan in November 2024. The examination news records further modifications correspondence in June 2026. The adopted-plan register still identifies the existing documents; the replacement plan is treated here as emerging.
Keep future policy requirements separate from the adopted planning basis. For each submission, check subsequent adoption notices and the guidance version requested by the authority.
Replacement-plan examination · Examination news
Review later monitoring releases as the network changes. Current sensor readings can help investigate patterns; annual assessment evidence needs suitable quality assurance, capture and a representative period.
10 / Your next step
Start your Ealing air quality assessment
Send the information you have so the assessment can be scoped around the proposal:
- Site address, planning authority, application stage and council comments.
- Layout, uses, floors, sensitive neighbours and outdoor spaces.
- Traffic, deliveries, parking and the proposed opening year.
- Energy plant, generators, flues, testing hours and ventilation intakes.
- Construction programme, access, activities and proposed controls.
- Previous assessments, monitoring and material design changes.
Use our main air quality service guide for assessment and monitoring options, and the London hub for the wider policy framework. Coordinate noise and odour advice where relevant.
11 / Common questions
Ealing air-quality FAQs
Is all of Ealing within an AQMA?
Yes. Defra records a borough-wide designation for annual nitrogen dioxide and daily PM₁₀. The designation and current monitoring results answer different questions.
Which local policy should the assessment address?
Start with the adopted development plan, including Policy 7A on amenity, alongside London Plan SI1. Within the OPDC area, check the corporation’s development plan and submission route.
Does the older air-quality SPG still provide the complete method?
The council continues to publish the SPG. Its local assessment topics are useful, but its historic policy references, monitoring inventory and technical thresholds require cross-reading with current guidance.
How should I choose a background concentration?
Match the pollutant, assessment year and setting. Review suitable monitoring, Defra background data and local sources together, explaining adjustments and avoiding double-counting road contributions.
Are the Horn Lane particle results one station series?
The report presents separate BAM and TEOM PM₁₀ instruments at Horn Lane. Retain the instrument identity when comparing annual values and selecting evidence.
Do smaller developments or changes of use need an assessment?
Scope depends on emissions, exposure and the proposed use, as well as size. Policy 7A addresses both sensitive uses and emissions-producing development. Check the application requirements and any council request; being a minor proposal or being within the AQMA does not settle the assessment scope by itself.
What should a generator or energy-plant proposal include?
Provide equipment, emissions, exhaust conditions, flue position, operating modes and testing hours. Include nearby receptors and other relevant plant so dispersion and cumulative effects can be reviewed.
Is the replacement Ealing Local Plan already adopted?
The sources checked on 20 October 2026 show the replacement plan in examination and the existing documents in the adopted-plan register. Confirm any later adoption notice before submission.
Ealing / 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.
Sources / Checked 20 October 2026
Ealing guidance and evidence
- 2025 annual report, published May 2026
- Current council report library
- Defra AQMA record
- Adopted development plan
- Development Management DPD and Policy 7A
- Published air-quality SPG
- Application documents and validation
- Air Quality Action Plan 2022–27
- Replacement-plan examination
- Examination news
- OPDC planning authority
- Defra local-authority dashboard