Smoke Control Order 2025
Overview
Camden Council has committed to a future where no one in the borough experiences poor health because of the air they breathe. We were the first local authority to adopt the World Health Organization air quality guidelines, and we have set an ambitious target of achieving these limits borough-wide no later than 2034.
The Camden Clean Air Action Plan 2023-2026 (CAAP) is our medium-term delivery plan, and describes the actions we will take towards our strategic ambition for clean air for everyone.
The CAAP sets our actions to reduce emissions from buildings, including from wood burning and commercial cooking. Reducing the emission of smoke from chimneys in Camden is a key part of this work.
Since the 1950s parts of Camden have been designated as ‘smoke control areas’, where there are restrictions on the emission of smoke from chimneys. Since 2000 the entire borough has been designated as a smoke control area, which applies to every building in Camden.
In a smoke control area it is only permitted to burn certain authorised fuels unless using an appliance exempted by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and it is an offence to emit smoke from a chimney. However, the smoke control area rules do not currently apply to canal boats moored in the borough.
Camden Council is proposing to revoke the current Smoke Control Order and replace this with a new Smoke Control Order that covers the whole of the borough including the waterways. This will mean that the same rules will apply to all buildings and vessels across the borough. Residents already in a smoke control area will continue to be in one.
If you moor a vessel on the waterways in Camden, you may need to change the way you heat your vessel if you are using unauthorised fuel and a non-exempt appliance. The changes do not affect the fuel used for powering the boat’s movement. You may qualify for funding to make this change. Please contact AirQuality@camden.gov.uk for advice.
For more information:
- Visit the Camden Council website https://www.camden.gov.uk/wood-burning-stoves
- Visit: https://www.gov.uk/smoke-control-area-rules
- View copies of the Notice and Order at Camden libraries and at the Town Hall
- Follow Camden Council on social media
- Contact AirQuality@camden.gov.uk
Provide feedback on this proposal, or register an objection by:
- Completing our survey below
- Send an email to AirQuality@camden.gov.uk with “Smoke Control Order” in the subject.
- Write to Air Quality Team, Sustainability, Air Quality and Energy, London Borough of Camden, 5th Floor, 5 Pancras Square, N1C 4AG
The closing date for feedback and objections is 20 March 2025.
Why your views matter
It is a requirement for Camden Council to inform you of this proposal and it is important for us to understand your views as we take the actions required for us to deliver the commitments made in the CAAP.
The intention of the Smoke Control Order is to deliver better air quality and health outcomes, while minimising any impacts to people living and working in any part of Camden, including the waterways.
Submit objections
Events
-
Pancras Library drop in
From 13 Feb 2025 at 12:00 to 13 Feb 2025 at 14:30Visit us at Pancras Library for information on the proposal, and information on heating resources.
5 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG -
Pancras Library drop in
From 1 Mar 2025 at 11:00 to 1 Mar 2025 at 14:00Visit us at Pancras Library for information on the proposal, and information on heating resources.
5 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG
Areas
- All Areas
Audiences
- Anyone from any background
Interests
- Environment
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