Lewisham / Planning & development
Air quality assessment in Lewisham
Clear air-quality evidence for development in Lewisham, Catford, Deptford, New Cross and the wider borough. ACP helps teams connect traffic, new occupants, construction and building design.
Define the baseline, the future scenario and the changes your project introduces.
Discuss your projectCurrent local policy
SD6 in the adopted 2025 Local Plan, with current application and construction guidance.
Monitoring in context
Roadside and background trends, 148 tube locations and a changing automatic network.
A coordinated brief
Use the evidence planner to connect transport assumptions, exposure and mitigation.
01 / A borough-specific brief
Main-road exposure and future development
Lewisham town centre and Loampit Vale
Review busy junctions, the road network and the position of occupied façades. The council identifies Lewis Grove’s street setting and traffic as relevant to its monitored NO₂ concentrations. Distinguish a monitor inlet from the proposed window or intake.
New Cross and Deptford
Coordinate road traffic, servicing, energy plant and nearby development. Where a site is near the river, industrial activity or major works, include those sources when the actual emissions and receptor pathways justify assessment.
Catford, the South Circular and southern corridors
Check local source conditions rather than transferring a town-centre result across the borough. A proposal can introduce new sensitive occupants even when its own traffic contribution is small.
Map the AQMA boundary
Lewisham has more than one designated AQMA. Defra lists the 2001 Lewisham designation covering large areas and ribbon roads, plus the 2013 Crofton Park and Honor Oak Park designation. Check the exact site on the current map. Defra’s Lewisham AQMA records.
Keep the future scenarios compatible
Align opening years, committed schemes, traffic forecasts, fleet assumptions and energy plant across the transport and air-quality work. State which changes are already included, so cumulative effects are neither omitted nor counted twice.
02 / Local monitoring
Read the latest year alongside the longer trend
The report published in May 2026 covers calendar year 2025. Its full-year automatic NO₂ results were below the annual objective, with a marked fall at Loampit Vale after the higher 2024 result.
NO₂ tube locations
The council network reported in the 2025 monitoring review.
Loampit Vale NO₂
2025 annual mean, µg/m³, at the monitor.
Highest tube result
Lewis Grove L95, µg/m³, before the report’s exposure adjustment.
Measured annual NO₂ / 2019–2025
Two roadside records, different histories
Annual mean concentrations at the monitoring inlet, in µg/m³. The dashed line marks the national annual objective.
New Cross
LW2 · roadside
18.7 µg/m³ in 2025
Loampit Vale
LW4 · roadside
33 µg/m³ in 2025
View the annual values
| Year | LW2 | LW4 |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 37.9 | 42.8 |
| 2020 | 29.1 | 35.6 |
| 2021 | 32.4 | 35.4 |
| 2022 | 29.6 | 38.4 |
| 2023 | 26.3 | 42.6 |
| 2024 | 25.1 | 46.1 |
| 2025 | 18.7 | 33.0 |
Source: 2026-published ASR, Table D and section 1.2. NO₂ data capture in 2025: LW2 83.3%; LW4 97.8%. These station values do not determine exposure at every site.
03 / Methods and qualifications
Tubes, particles and the changing network
| Station | NO₂ | PM₁₀ | PM₂.₅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| LW2 New Cross | 18.7 | 18.1 | 10.8 |
| LW4 Loampit Vale | 33 | 17.8 | — |
| HP1 Honor Oak Park | 14.7 | 12.8 | 8.0 |
| LW6 Laurence House, Catford | 18.0 | — | — |
Source: ASR Tables D, G and I. — means no result presented here. LW5 Deptford closed in April 2025; its incomplete-year value is excluded from this annual comparison.
Diffusion tubes add street detail
The 2025 report identifies 148 NO₂ monitoring locations. Its highest tube result was L95 Lewis Grove, 36.1 µg/m³ at the monitor and 34.6 µg/m³ after distance correction for relevant exposure. Retain bias adjustment, capture and annualisation information.
Particulate matter needs its own review
PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ can respond differently to NO₂. New Cross and Honor Oak Park provide PM₂.₅ records, while Loampit Vale adds PM₁₀. Select pollutants using the actual traffic, combustion, construction and neighbouring sources.
Four full-year locations, plus the former Deptford site
The 2025 report includes five automatic sites used during the year, but Deptford was decommissioned in April. Its 24.3% full-year capture was insufficient for annualisation. Do not compare its indicative particle result with a complete annual mean.
Current readings are a different evidence layer
Use the council monitoring portal for current conditions and Defra’s local-authority dashboard for wider context. Confirm data status, siting and method. Sensors, annual ratified results and background estimates serve different purposes.
04 / Policy and submission
Use the adopted SD6 policy and the correct submission route
Local Plan 2025: SD6
The Local Plan was adopted on 16 July 2025. SD6 requires a design-led approach, at least Air Quality Neutral development and consideration of individual and cumulative impacts. Older references to Core Strategy policy 9 or DM23 need updating. Adoption decision · Adopted plan, SD6.
Assessment beyond major development
SD6 covers major proposals, relevant minor schemes in AQMAs or AQFAs, and community infrastructure or uses attracting particularly vulnerable groups. Scope the actual use, sources and future occupants. Council assessment-scoping guidance.
Dust, machinery and construction guidance
Use SD6 with the council’s Good Practice Guide and current London dust/NRMM guidance. The plan’s supporting text calls for real-time dust monitoring at medium- and high-risk sites. Council Good Practice Guide.
Current validation lists and the 2026 consultation
The gateway still links application-specific October 2022 requirements. A separate update was consulted on from 1–29 September 2026. The consultation page describes review before finalisation and adoption; its closing date alone does not establish replacement. Submission gateway · Draft update and status.
Keep the evidence packages identifiable
The linked major checklist includes AQA and Neutral/Positive evidence, transport inputs, energy, ventilation and construction management. Read its application-specific requirements with SD6 and current London guidance. Linked major-development checklist.
Coordinate energy and the waterway setting
SD6’s supporting text addresses biomass/CHP modelling and directs waterside proposals to the Port of London Authority’s air-quality strategy. Select source-specific evidence where applicable; retain realistic plant and operational assumptions.
05 / Assessment to design
A clear scenario table makes the report useful
Define baseline and opening conditions
Record the year, traffic inputs, background data and relevant developments in each scenario. Reconcile those assumptions with the transport assessment and likely occupation programme.
Test occupied façades and plant
Show sensitive rooms, terraces, intakes, road-facing windows and discharges in plan and section. Coordinate exposure with overheating, acoustic design and energy selection before finalising equipment locations.
Plan mitigation and verification
Connect findings to the drawings, construction plan, plant specification and any monitoring. Explain who needs each output and the stage at which measures must be ready, using the actual planning conditions.
Local practice / Evidence before claims
What local projects show about monitoring
Baring Primary School Roadvent pilot
The council’s current project update identifies Baring Primary School, with baseline diffusion-tube and air-node monitoring underway and planning permission granted in 2026. It describes preparation for installation. The useful assessment lesson is to establish the baseline and a method for checking change before claiming an exposure benefit. Council project update.
Indoor air quality in sensitive settings
Lewisham’s indoor-air project launched in May 2026 and focuses on nurseries and care homes. For development work, coordinate outdoor concentrations with ventilation, filtration, indoor sources and maintenance. The right measurement question depends on who uses the space and how it operates. Local indoor-air and school initiatives.
These examples describe the council’s published programme and stage. They provide context for evidence planning and do not establish a measured outcome for a proposed development.
06 / Interactive project checklist
Lewisham 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
Track the next evidence and guidance updates
Validation review after September 2026
Check the council’s published adoption and replacement notice before relying on the consulted-on lists. The adopted 2025 plan and a draft validation document have different roles. Keep application scope proportionate to the scheme. Follow the validation update.
Action planning and monitoring
The 2022–2027 Air Quality Action Plan remains the programme linked by the council portal. Review later ASRs, monitoring-network changes and evaluated project results as they are published; separate intended outcomes from verified measurements.
08 / Start with the available information
Start your Lewisham air quality brief
Send the site address, planning reference and available plans. Include the proposed use, council comments, transport information, plant and ventilation details, and the construction programme.
For phased or revised schemes, add the expected occupation year, other relevant development and a schedule of changes from any earlier report.
Questions / Local answers
Lewisham air-quality FAQs
Is all of Lewisham in one AQMA?
No. Defra lists the Lewisham designation covering large areas and ribbon roads, together with Crofton Park and Honor Oak Park. Check the exact site and pollutant designation on the current map.
Which local air-quality policy applies now?
SD6 in the Local Plan adopted in July 2025 is the current air-quality policy. It replaced older Core Strategy and Development Management policy references. Use the adopted plan and the applicable submission requirements.
Can a minor development need an assessment?
Yes. SD6 includes relevant minor development in AQMAs or AQFAs and proposals introducing sensitive receptors to existing poor air quality. Community uses attracting vulnerable groups also need particular consideration.
What does the latest monitoring show?
The report published in May 2026 covers 2025. Full-year automatic NO₂ results were below the annual objective. Loampit Vale recorded 33 µg/m³, while the highest tube result was 36.1 µg/m³ at Lewis Grove before exposure correction.
Are diffusion tubes and particles monitored?
Yes. The report identifies 148 NO₂ tube locations and automatic PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ results. These methods answer different questions; preserve capture, adjustment and siting information when selecting assessment evidence.
Why is Deptford excluded from the annual comparison?
LW5 closed in April 2025. Full-year data capture was 24.3%, too low for annualisation. Its indicative particle result is not presented as a comparable complete annual mean.
How should cumulative development be included?
Use compatible years and transport scenarios, identify relevant developments and explain whether they are already included in the forecasts. Review overlapping construction phases and avoid counting the same traffic change twice.
Are the September 2026 draft validation lists adopted?
The checked consultation page describes review and finalisation before adoption. The gateway still links October 2022 application lists. Confirm a published replacement notice when submitting, rather than treating consultation closure as adoption.
Lewisham / 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
Lewisham guidance and sources
- May 2026 report: 2025 measurements
- Council report library
- Council monitoring network
- Defra AQMA records
- July 2025 Local Plan adoption
- Adopted Local Plan: SD6
- Council assessment guidance
- Current submission gateway
- Linked 2022 major checklist
- September 2026 validation consultation
- Council construction Good Practice Guide
- Air Quality Action Plan 2022–2027
- Local monitoring and exposure projects
- Defra local-authority dashboard
Report publication dates and measurement years are identified separately. Source conditions and data-quality qualifications matter when applying borough evidence to a specific project.