Policy information sourced from Redbridge Local Plan

LP24: Pollution

The Council will ensure that the health of Redbridge residents is not jeopardised through exposure to pollutants or other hazardous substances or their quality of life is not degraded through exposure to excessive noise or light nuisance by:

  • Seeking major new development to be at least “air quality neutral”;
  • Requiring an Air Quality Assessment for development consisting of 10 or more new homes, where:
    • It is likely to have a signifcant and harmful impact on air quality (i.e. it will increase pollutant concentrations outlined in the Council’s Air Quality Action Plan and annual Air Quality Status Reports) either through the operation of the proposed development or trip generation arising from the development;
    • It is located in an area of poor air quality, including the following Air Quality Focus Areas, identifed in the Council’s Air Quality Action Plan:
      • A12 Eastern Avenue at Wanstead (east and west of Tunnel)
      • Ilford A123 and Ilford Hill
      • A12 Eastern Avenue from Redbridge to A12/Aldborough Road
      • Hermon Hill
    • Demolition or construction phases for development will have a signifcant impact on the local environment (i.e. through fugitive dust and exhaust emissions from non-road mobile machinery); and
    • The development prevents implementation of measures in the Air Quality Action Plan.
  • Seeking Air Quality Assessments to include an emissions assessment that takes into account Air Quality Action Plan objectives and emissions targets, and current baseline data for pollutants set out in the annual Air Quality Status Reports for the Redbridge AQMA. Where assessments show development is likely to have a negative impact on air quality, a mitigation plan will be required. Planning permission will be refused where air quality exposure is not reduced to acceptable levels. Developments proposing Combined Heat and Power (CHP) or biomass must demonstrate compliance with the Mayor of London’s emissions limits for CHP and biomass;
  • Demonstrating where a biomass boiler is proposed that there will be no adverse air quality efects from the boiler relative to a conventional gas boiler. Small biomass boilers (below 500 kWth) will be considered unsuitable unless it can be demonstrated that they have no adverse air quality efects; and
  • Developments must meet the requirements of LP38 Protecting Trees and Enhancing Landscape to mitigate against the efects of air pollution.

Water Pollution

  • Resisting development which poses an unacceptable risk to the quality of the water catchment, groundwater or surface water;
  • Reducing the runof of particulates and other forms of biological and chemical pollution to waterways through sustainable drainage and pollution prevention methods such as incorporation of oil interceptors;

Land Contamination

  • Requiring development on land which is potentially contaminated, to undertake surveys/investigations, to identify the nature and extent of contamination and to carry out risk assessments and, if necessary, undertake remediation of the site to render it ft for the proposed use;

Noise Pollution

  • Resisting development that generates unacceptable levels of noise pollution or vibration;
  • Resisting development that is sensitive to noise in locations with noise pollution, unless appropriate mitigation is provided to reduce such pollution to acceptable levels;

Light Pollution

  • Resisting development involving foodlights or other external forms of lighting (including fashing lights) that would unacceptably impact on the amenity of nearby occupiers at unsocial hours, biodiversity, including protected species and the ecology of watercourses, or be likely to distract drivers on the public highway;

Waste

  • Resisting development involving the manufacture of hazardous products or the use of hazardous processes, or for development in close proximity to such establishments, unless it can be demonstrated that there will be no risk to public safety;
  • Requiring proposals for waste facilities to adequately mitigate their impact on amenity, air quality, noise and other relevant environmental considerations by fully enclosing the facility; and
  • Requiring that major new developments demonstrate through liaison with Thames Water that sufcient capacity exists within the sewerage and drainage network to serve the proposed development, and where necessary, that capacity upgrades will be secured.

In order to help mitigate the impact of development on air quality within the borough the Council will implement actions set out in the Air Quality Action Plan schedule of actions relating to ‘emissions from development and buildings’.

Implementation

The Council will work corporately and holistically to align the various regulatory regimes relating to pollution; this will include those relating to the use of land (i.e. planning / development) and the ongoing use of premises (i.e. regulated activities under the Licensing Act 2003, such as live music and the provision of late night refreshment); and

In order to help mitigate the impact of development on air quality within the borough the Council will implement actions set out in the Air Quality Action Plan schedule of actions relating to ‘emissions from development and buildings’.

For more information please see the Local Plan