Construction dust

London Best Practice Guidance: The control of dust and emissions from construction and demolition

Air pollution affects the health and quality of life of a large number of Londoners. Dust and emissions from demolition and construction work can impact on air quality, but through careful planning and good management, these impacts can be reduced.

Following the commitment within the Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy, the GLA and London Councils have produced ‘Best Practice Guidance’ to control dust and emissions from construction and demolition. The Guidance will be used to inform the planning process within London boroughs; assisting developers in understanding the methods available to them and what London boroughs might expect. The Guidance will be reviewed regularly, in order to update new best practice in dust and emissions management.

The overarching aim of the Guidance is to protect the health of on-site workers and the public and to provide London-wide consistency for developers. It has been developed to assist architects, environmental consultants, developers, local authority officers and any parties involved in the construction process.

One specific recommendation is to seek to lower exhaust emissions from off-road construction vehicles and plant used on major sites wherever possible. The Guidance states that:

ultra low sulphur diesel equivalent fuel should be used at all sites whenever possible
at major construction sites, all plant should comply with either the current or immediately previous EU Directive Staged Emission Standards. In addition, plant over 37kW should be fitted with suitable exhaust after treatment stated on the approved list managed by the Energy Saving Trust.

The Mayor’s London Plan and the associated Supplementary Planning Guidance provide the planning framework for London. They are used to manage the complex issues we now face to develop London - to absorb its expanding population, to provide adequate housing, employment, transport and leisure facilities, to develop the London Olympic facilities for 2012 and to develop the East Thames Corridor; and done with the minimal impact on London’s environment.

The capital faces decades of construction. London Councils and the GLA have produced this Guidance so that our environment is protected during construction. Local planning authorities and developers are urged to use this document to agree methods of reducing dust and other emissions during demolition and construction, ensuring that as much as possible is done to mitigate these works and help to make London a greener and more sustainable city.

Best Practice Guidance: The Control of Dust and Emissions from Construction and Demolition (PDF)
Best Practice Guidance: The Control of Dust and Emissions from Construction and Demolition (RTF)

A first draft of this Guidance was released for limited consultation in 2005, and then in spring 2006 a public consultation draft was published. Many of the comments received have been incorporated into the document, which was published in November 2006.

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