Richmond upon Thames / Planning, sources and design
Air quality assessment in Richmond upon Thames
Shape your Richmond air quality assessment around current local policy, road exposure and representative monitoring. ACP supports planning evidence, monitoring and mitigation for development across Richmond upon Thames.
Connect the borough’s streets, monitoring evidence and planning requirements with practical design decisions.
Discuss your projectCurrent local requirements
The adopted 2025 plan, 2026 validation checklist and Air Quality SPD.
A qualified local baseline
Automatic stations, diffusion tubes and the remaining Sheen Lane hotspot.
Coordinated assessment
Impact, Neutral, Positive and construction evidence in one clear brief.
01 / Local context
Road corridors, town centres and sensitive uses
Richmond combines busy road corridors and town centres with extensive parks and riverside neighbourhoods. A low background reading cannot describe every occupied façade. Locate the site against traffic, energy plant, construction and relevant nearby uses before selecting baseline evidence.
East Sheen and the South Circular
The annual report identifies Upper Richmond Road West near Sheen Lane as its highest 2024 tube location. Check the street geometry, occupied floors, ventilation intakes and cumulative traffic assumptions for nearby proposals.
Richmond, Kew and Twickenham
The network covers George Street, Lower Mortlake Road, Kew Road, the A316 and Twickenham town-centre streets. Match a representative road-facing monitor to the actual site rather than importing a park background.
Barnes and Mortlake
Roadside Castelnau and the Wetlands Centre provide contrasting monitoring settings. For redevelopment, coordinate transport, construction phases and future sensitive uses with nearby road exposure.
Hampton and Teddington
The network includes local high streets, level-crossing surroundings and the National Physical Laboratory. Check each channel’s usable reporting period: a listed station does not guarantee a valid annual result.
Whole-borough designation: Defra records the Richmond AQMA from 31 December 2000 for annual NO₂ and annual and 24-hour PM₁₀. Focus Areas identify more specific locations of pollution and exposure; they do not define the borough-wide AQMA boundary.
02 / Monitoring and trends
Longer-term improvement needs a local reading
The latest report linked in the council library is the 2025 Annual Status Report, published 30 May 2025 and covering 2024. Both automatic NO₂ sites were below their 2018 levels. In the latest year, Castelnau rose from 16 to 19.2 µg/m³, while Wetlands fell from 14 to 12.3.
Annual NO₂ / 2018–2024
Two Barnes sites, different recent directions
Annual objective: 40 µg/m³
Castelnau Library
RI1 · roadside automatic
19.2µg/m³2024 annual mean
Wetlands Centre
RI2 · background automatic
12.3µg/m³2024 annual mean
Shared 0–60 µg/m³ scale · council-reported annual NO₂ measurements at each monitoring location.
Read the annual values
| Year | Castelnau RI1 | Wetlands RI2 |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 31 | 20 |
| 2019 | 27 | 21 |
| 2020 | 20 | 15 |
| 2021 | 21 | 14 |
| 2022 | 23 | 14 |
| 2023 | 16 | 14 |
| 2024 | 19.2 | 12.3 |
Full-calendar-year NO₂ capture was 100% at Castelnau and 86% at Wetlands. Neither required annualisation. These results describe the monitor locations; they do not demonstrate acceptable exposure across all proposed buildings. Read the report and quality notes.
03 / Network and interpretation
Look beyond a single borough-wide trend
| 2024 evidence | Result (µg/m³) / capture | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Richmond Road West / Sheen Lane · tube 36 | 45.3 µg/m³ NO₂; 90.6% annual capture | Bias-adjusted monitor value; report’s distance-adjusted receptor estimate: 44.9 µg/m³ |
| George Street · Rut 02 | 36.0 µg/m³ NO₂; 100% annual capture | Kerbside location; check distance and exposure before applying to a façade |
| Castelnau RI1 · PM₁₀ | 16 µg/m³; 99% annual capture | Annual mean rose from 15 in 2023 |
| Wetlands RI2 · PM₁₀ | 15 µg/m³; 84% annual capture | Annual mean rose from 12 in 2023 |
68 tube monitoring sites in the report
The report describes 68 sites during 2024, including co-location work and a new A316 location. It records reductions at 65, increases at two and one new site. Tube counts, co-located triplicates and automatic stations are different quantities.
Keep particle and ozone evidence separate
The station inventory includes ozone at Wetlands and PM₂.₅ at NPL Teddington. NPL’s 2024 PM₂.₅ capture was only 10%, so the report excludes that annual result. Indicative sensor evidence is a separate monitoring stream.
A remaining local hotspot: tube 36 fell from 48.3 to 45.3 µg/m³ but remained above 40. The report’s receptor adjustment also remained above that level. This is compatible with wider improvement elsewhere. PM₁₀ rose at both council automatic sites, so avoid an all-pollutant improvement claim.
Use representative observations alongside Defra borough data, appropriate backgrounds and current local monitoring. Keep provisional live values, modelled concentrations and ratified annual results clearly labelled.
04 / Planning requirements
Use the current plan and submission checklist
Use the October 2025 Local Plan
The council adopted its 2024–2039 Local Plan on 7 October 2025. Policy 53 Local Environmental Impacts addresses air quality, exposure and mitigation; Policy 19 is also cited by the validation list. Replace former LP10 numbering when describing current adopted policy. Policy 53, printed pages 360–364.
Apply the February 2026 checklist
The current checklist took effect on 20 February 2026. Entry 74 requires AQA for major development and certain minor development within or adjacent to a Focus Area, including sensitive uses and street-level residential conversions. Scope the actual site and proposed use. Entries 74–76, page 37.
Index Neutral and Positive evidence
Entry 75 places the major-development Neutral assessment within the AQA and recognises simplified treatment and exclusions in current GLA guidance. Entry 76 specifies a Positive Statement for major EIA development. Policy 53E also applies Positive requirements to major development, using broader wording than this validation entry. Establish the applicable policy and evidence scope early with the council.
Retain the Air Quality SPD
The current supplementary register retains the June 2020 Air Quality SPD. Use its assessment, dust-management and mitigation detail alongside the adopted 2025 plan, the 2026 checklist and current London guidance. Its older policy numbers and technical editions need a current cross-check. View the current SPD register.
Keep local impact and exposure, Neutral benchmarks and Positive design decisions separately identifiable in the application inventory. The London air-quality guide and tools explain how these workstreams fit together.
05 / Assessment and design
Four Richmond settings, four practical design briefs
These illustrative briefs connect local evidence with design decisions. Start with the site plan, proposed uses, council request, traffic and plant details, and construction programme.
East Sheen: homes beside the South Circular
For an illustrative housing proposal near Upper Richmond Road West and Sheen Lane, map occupied floors, balconies and intakes against the road. Use the tube siting and receptor adjustment to justify the baseline. Coordinate layout, ventilation, overheating and noise before relying on filtration.
Useful outputA receptor plan, justified baseline and coordinated exposure-reduction options.
Barnes and Mortlake: phased redevelopment
For an illustrative redevelopment, explain why roadside Castelnau or background Wetlands evidence represents each assessment input. Map demolition, trackout, haul routes and plant alongside neighbours and early occupied phases. Retain separate construction and operational assessments, with consistent traffic assumptions.
Useful outputA baseline selection note and phase-specific dust controls, monitoring and response measures.
Richmond and Twickenham: street-level conversions
For an illustrative street-level residential conversion, check whether the site lies within or beside a Focus Area. Review nearby traffic, servicing and commercial extract alongside future windows and intakes. Apply the current checklist to the actual use and setting, including the criteria for minor development.
Useful outputA scoped assessment brief and coordinated air quality, odour and noise layout.
Teddington: a sensitive-use monitoring brief
For an illustrative school or care-use proposal, choose evidence for the relevant pollutant and occupied position. The NPL annual PM₂.₅ result excluded from the 2024 report cannot fill a project baseline gap. Define the uncertainty, representative alternative data and any additional monitoring needed.
Useful outputA pollutant-specific evidence register with capture limits and a purposeful monitoring scope.
Source context: 2025 ASR, reporting on 2024; February 2026 validation checklist, entries 74–76; and Air Quality SPD assessment content. These are illustrative proposals, with no assumed planning outcome.
Record source reduction and layout decisions, residual exposure, maintenance and any necessary abatement in a traceable mitigation schedule. Use consistent assumptions for air quality assessment, noise and odour assessment.
06 / Interactive project checklist
Richmond upon Thames 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 / Current changes
Follow policy and monitoring updates
Richmond’s current Air Quality Action Plan runs from 2025 to 2030. It pursues further exposure reductions beyond the existing national objectives. Keep the council’s local ambitions, national statutory objectives and WHO health guidelines clearly distinguished.
The 2025 report records a new council PM₂.₅ monitor installed in Richmond town centre in February 2025. Check the next published annual report for usable results rather than filling the 2024 NPL gap. The current library still lists the 2025 report as its newest annual report at this review.
The council has also adopted several updated SPDs during 2026, including transport, planning obligations and biodiversity. Check the current register for a coordinated submission, while retaining the specific Air Quality SPD and adopted policy context.
Common questions / Local answers
Richmond upon Thames air-quality FAQs
Is all of Richmond upon Thames in an AQMA?
Yes. Defra records the whole borough from 31 December 2000 for annual NO2 and annual and 24-hour PM10. A Focus Area is a separate, more localised designation and does not replace the AQMA boundary.
Which local plan applies now?
The Local Plan 2024–2039 was adopted on 7 October 2025. Policy 53 Local Environmental Impacts contains the air-quality requirements. Use the current validation checklist and retained Air Quality SPD alongside it.
Can a minor proposal need an air quality assessment?
Yes. The February 2026 checklist identifies certain minor development within or adjacent to a Focus Area, including sensitive uses and street-level residential conversions. Check the complete entry and the actual exposure and emissions.
Are Neutral and Positive assessments the same?
No. Neutral tests relevant building and transport emissions against benchmarks. Positive evidence explains how design improves air quality and minimises exposure. The checklist and adopted policy use different scope wording, so establish the applicable requirements for the proposal.
What does the latest monitoring report cover?
The newest annual report linked by the council is the 2025 report, published 30 May 2025 and covering 2024. Castelnau automatic NO2 was 19.2 µg/m³ and Wetlands was 12.3 µg/m³, with annual capture of 100% and 86%.
Does Richmond use diffusion tubes?
Yes. The report describes 68 tube monitoring sites during 2024. Upper Richmond Road West near Sheen Lane remained above the annual NO2 objective: the bias-adjusted monitor result was 45.3 µg/m³ and the reported receptor estimate was 44.9.
Are there usable particle results for every station?
No. The report excludes NPL Teddington’s 2024 PM2.5 annual result because capture was only 10%. It reports PM10 annual means of 16 µg/m³ at Castelnau and 15 at Wetlands. Keep indicative sensors and reference monitoring separate.
Can I reuse an earlier Richmond report?
Check the adopted-plan and validation editions, source inventory, traffic and plant assumptions, assessment year, monitoring quality, receptors and design. Retain representative evidence and update material changes, including mitigation and construction phases.
Richmond upon Thames / 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 Richmond upon Thames 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
Richmond upon Thames guidance and sources
Measurement and publication years are stated beside the results. Check current documents when preparing a submission.
- Council report library: latest linked annual report
- 2025 Annual Status Report: measurements during 2024
- Adopted Local Plan: 7 October 2025
- Local Plan 2024–2039: Policy 53 and supporting text
- Current application and validation gateway
- Local Validation Checklist: effective 20 February 2026
- Current supplementary document register
- Air Quality SPD: adopted 2 June 2020
- Current Air Quality Action Plan 2025–2030
- Defra whole-borough AQMA designation
- Defra local-authority dashboard