Havering / Planning, sources and design
Air quality assessment in Havering
Plan air quality around Havering’s road corridors, town centres and phased development. ACP supports planning assessments, monitoring and practical mitigation for local projects.
Connect current policy with the monitoring setting, occupied receptors and the actual construction programme.
Discuss your projectPolicy and validation
Policies 33 and 34, the application checklist and relevant SPDs.
Local monitoring
Automatic stations, diffusion tubes and qualified particle evidence.
Phased development
Coordinate new occupation, construction and mitigation.
01 / Local context
Road corridors, town centres and changing sites
An air quality assessment in Havering should respond to the actual street, source and development programme. The council identifies road traffic on the M25, A12, A13 and A127 as a principal influence, alongside construction, industry, gas use and pollution transported into the borough.
Romford town centre
Homes, shopping streets, taxis and servicing can place occupied façades close to emissions. Local tube results reveal concentrations that differ substantially from the Waterloo Road automatic station. Use the relevant receptor height and street geometry.
Rainham and the southern corridor
Review the A13/A1306, industrial neighbours and development-related traffic where they affect the site. Distinguish routine background conditions from any specific smoke, dust or industrial source that needs separate investigation.
Schools and residential streets
Havering’s tube network includes school and neighbourhood settings. Match the monitor to the proposed use and exposure period. A low background result does not resolve a road-facing bedroom or intake beside a local source.
Phased growth and construction
New residents may occupy one part of a scheme while demolition or earthworks continue nearby. Map occupied phases, haul routes, plant and neighbouring receptors together before fixing the construction assessment.
AQMA: Defra records the entire borough as designated from 11 September 2006 for NO₂ and PM₁₀. Assess the relevant pollutant and averaging period alongside the site-specific planning questions.
02 / Monitoring and trends
Read the contrast within Romford
The latest report linked in the council library is the 2024 monitoring report, published on 22 May 2025. The library calls it the 2025 report. Automatic NO₂ results show a longer decline, but Romford HV3 increased from 20.5 to 22.1 µg/m³ in 2024. Some town-centre tubes remain much higher.
Annual NO₂ / 2018–2024
One town centre, very different monitoring settings
Annual objective: 40 µg/m³
Waterloo Road, Romford
HV3 · roadside automatic
22.1µg/m³2024 annual mean
Romford Battis
HAV58/59/60 · urban-centre tubes
70.7µg/m³2024 annual mean
Shared 0–100 µg/m³ scale · reported annual measurements at each monitoring location.
Read the annual values
| Year | Waterloo Road HV3 | Romford Battis tubes |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 30 | 71.4 |
| 2019 | 29.1 | 71.3 |
| 2020 | 23 | 66.9 |
| 2021 | 23 | 71.3 |
| 2022 | 23 | 82.7 |
| 2023 | 20.5 | 76 |
| 2024 | 22.1 | 70.7 |
HV3 capture was 99.5%; the plotted tube group had 100%. For the 70.7 µg/m³ tube result, Table T predicts 53.8 µg/m³ at the receptor after distance adjustment. Keep the measured and adjusted values separate. Source: Tables B, D, E and T, pages 8, 12, 16 and 68.
03 / Pollutants and coverage
Use the network with its quality checks
| 2024 site / evidence | Reported annual mean | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Rainham HV1 · NO₂ | 19 µg/m³ | 99.7% capture |
| Romford HV3 · NO₂ | 22.1 µg/m³ | 99.5% capture |
| Both automatic sites · PM₁₀ | 18.4 µg/m³ | 99.5% capture at each site |
| Rainham HV1 · PM₂.₅ | No ratified 2024 mean | Instrumentation problems; retain the gap |
Diffusion tubes broaden the picture
The current council gateway describes 46 locations using 66 NO₂ tubes. The report identifies elevated tube results at Mercury Gardens, Butts Green Road, Romford Taxi Rank and Romford Battis. Receptor adjustment changes the comparison at some locations; read Table T with the site details.
Particles and background evidence
PM₁₀ rose at both automatic sites in 2024 while NO₂ trends differed. Do not substitute NO₂ improvement for a particle assessment, or fill the missing PM₂.₅ year with an assumed result. Use representative local and Defra evidence with the relevant quality checks.
Defra’s local-authority dashboard helps establish borough context. Ratified annual results, modelled backgrounds and provisional live readings should remain clearly labelled.
04 / Policy and guidance
Build the right planning evidence package
Policy 33: air quality
The adopted 2016–2031 Local Plan supports development that is at least Air Quality Neutral, reduces exposure, supports active travel and minimises construction emissions. Paragraph 12.5.3 calls for assessment and appropriate mitigation where negative effects are a risk. Policy 33, printed page 95.
Policy 34: pollution and design
Address noise, dust, odour, vibration and other relevant pollution together with air quality. Building orientation, layout and source controls should support the assessment conclusions. Read Policies 33 and 34 together.
Checklist 004 and the application route
The currently linked full-application checklist requests AQA for all major applications and other development with potentially significant direct or indirect effects. Select the correct route for outline, reserved matters or conditions. Its older references to draft GLA documents should be read with current guidance. Read the linked checklist.
Supplementary and London guidance
The adopted SPD library now lists the Romford Town Centre Masterplan SPD 2025. Check it for sites in its area. Use current GLA Neutral/Positive and construction guidance; a proposed local air-quality SPD is not automatically an adopted requirement. Adopted supplementary documents.
Use ACP’s London air quality guide to connect local policy with the appropriate impact, exposure, Neutral and Positive workstreams. These answer related but distinct questions.
05 / Local context into design
Four Havering settings. Four different briefs.
The same borough-wide designation can lead to different assessment questions. These illustrative briefs show how local evidence informs a proposal.
Romford town-centre homes
For a conversion or redevelopment near the station, start with the actual façade, floor and intake positions. Waterloo Road’s automatic monitor and the Battis tubes describe different settings; neither result can simply be assigned to a new bedroom.
Useful project outputA receptor plan, representative baseline and coordinated ventilation, overheating and acoustic strategy. Check the Romford Masterplan SPD for the site.
Rainham and A1306 phased development
Where homes are occupied while neighbouring plots remain under construction, assess the changing combination of road traffic, works traffic, dust and plant. Identify nearby industrial sources and construction access routes before fixing monitoring positions.
Useful project outputA phase-by-phase source and receptor schedule, dust controls, monitoring triggers and a response plan linked to occupation.
Schools and homes near major junctions
For sites influenced by the A12, A127 or their approaches, consider queues, fleet mix, road geometry and the location of outdoor spaces. Use the relevant opening-year traffic assumptions and explain how local monitoring supports the model.
Useful project outputConsistent traffic inputs and receptor heights, with layout and intake options tested before the design is fixed.
Industrial edges and local combustion
A Rainham proposal near industrial activity may need a source-led scope beyond roadside nitrogen dioxide. Identify fuels, processes, operating patterns and wind exposure; coordinate emissions, odour and plant noise where they affect the same neighbours.
Useful project outputAn agreed pollutant and monitoring scope, supported by a source inventory and a shared mitigation drawing.
Bring air quality, noise and odour into a shared design brief.
06 / Interactive project checklist
Havering 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.
07 / Policy horizon
Separate adopted policy from the next action plan
The Local Plan update is at evidence-gathering stage on the council’s current gateway. The adopted 2021 plan remains the starting point. Romford’s Masterplan SPD was adopted on 12 March 2025; use its development framework for proposals within its area.
The council consulted on a replacement air-quality action plan from 4 November to 19 December 2025. Its feedback update of 13 February 2026 says GLA ratification and a Cabinet decision were required before adoption. The consultation title uses 2025–30, while supporting documents refer to 2026–31. Use the final adopted version and decision when available; the consultation alone does not establish a new planning requirement.
The report library still lists the 2018 action plan. Check the current decision record and applicable GLA, Defra and IAQM editions at submission, including the status of any proposed local air-quality guidance.
Local Plan update · Romford SPD adoption statement · Action-plan consultation and council feedback
Common questions / Local answers
Havering air-quality FAQs
Is the whole of Havering in an AQMA?
Yes. Defra records a whole-borough designation from 11 September 2006 for nitrogen dioxide and PM10. Individual monitoring results and planning requirements still need site-specific interpretation.
Which local air-quality policies apply?
Start with Policies 33 and 34 of the adopted Havering Local Plan 2016–2031, the London Plan and applicable supplementary guidance. Check the current validation route and any project-specific council request.
Does Havering use diffusion tubes?
Yes. The council gateway describes 46 locations using 66 NO2 tubes, alongside two automatic stations. Review the report’s bias adjustment, capture and receptor-distance information before using a result.
Why are some Romford tube results much higher?
The monitors occupy different local settings and distances from emissions. The 2025 annual report, covering 2024, records 70.7 µg/m³ at Romford Battis tubes and a distance-adjusted receptor estimate of 53.8 µg/m³. Neither is a borough-wide average.
What is the latest monitoring year in the linked report?
The report published on 22 May 2025 covers 2024 measurements. The council library labels it the 2025 annual report. Keep publication and measurement years separate.
Is there a valid 2024 PM2.5 result at Rainham?
The report states that the 2024 PM2.5 data could not be ratified because of instrumentation problems. Retain that missing year and use suitable alternative evidence rather than inferring a value.
Is Air Quality Neutral enough on its own?
Neutral benchmarks do not answer every exposure, local impact or construction-dust question. Identify each applicable workstream and show how the assessment informs design and mitigation.
How should a phased scheme be assessed?
Identify occupied neighbours and new residents in each works phase. Align construction traffic, plant and dust controls with the occupation programme, and review changes to assumptions before relying on an earlier report.
Havering / Your next step
Discuss your air quality project
Tell us what you are proposing and where you are in the planning process.
What to include
- Site and proposal. Address or postcode, proposed use and approximate number of homes or floorspace.
- Planning stage. Application reference, any Havering Council request or condition, and your target date.
- Local setting. Road exposure, occupied rooms, ventilation, energy plant and construction phases.
- Existing information. Mention available drawings, previous air quality reports and traffic or plant details.
Start with what you have. You can email drawings or council correspondence using the address below.
Your details are handled under our privacy policy.
Evidence / checked 23 October 2026
Havering guidance and sources
Measurement and publication years are stated beside the results. Check current documents when preparing a submission.
- Council air-quality and monitoring gateway
- Current report library
- 2024 monitoring: annual report published May 2025
- Adopted Local Plan: Policies 33 and 34
- Current validation routes
- Checklist 004: full planning applications
- Adopted supplementary documents, including Romford Masterplan
- Defra: whole-borough AQMA
- Local Plan update: current stage
- Defra local-authority dashboard
- Romford Masterplan SPD: adoption 12 March 2025
- Replacement action-plan consultation: feedback 13 February 2026
- TRL Launders Lane monitoring: May 2023–September 2024, report March 2025