TO BE PUBLISHED November 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for air quality in England, as attention turns from setting targets to whether measures on domestic burning, agriculture, industry and transport are reducing pollution and exposure in practice. The agenda will consider key issues around national targets and future policy, local delivery and enforcement, planning and environmental permitting, and priorities for public health and reducing unequal exposure to pollution.
Delegates will draw on indications in the latest annual progress report, with discussion on how far approaches set out in the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 and the Air Quality Environment Act Target Delivery Plan are working so far for meeting 2030 and 2040 targets. Discussion will also consider insights emerging from the Environmental Audit Committee’s ongoing inquiry into air pollution, examining national leadership and the clarity of responsibilities across government. Attendees will consider the extent of progress, how the present approach may need to develop, and the potential implications of further action for regulators, local authorities, businesses, farmers, transport bodies, households and communities.
At a local level, discussion will look at whether councils and regulators have the capacity to act on pollution hotspots, how policy might respond to differences between pollutants, sources and places, and how choices over regulation, incentives and enforcement may affect those expected to implement or comply with new measures. We expect discussion on the consultation on solid fuel burning raising questions about standards for stoves as secondary heating, proposals to extend environmental permitting to intensive beef and dairy production bringing new requirements for farms, and smaller industrial operators facing possible changes to combustion standards.
Delegates will examine whether approaches are proportionate and workable, and what support, timing and certainty those affected would need, as well as whether monitoring and data are efficient enough to indicate which interventions are working, looking at approaches that might better support decisions, including recent developments in public information such as Defra’s new opt-in air quality alert service, which provides up-to-date information on local pollution levels.
Sessions will also assess where action on air quality aligns with, or pulls against, priorities for housing growth, infrastructure, transport and decarbonisation, and what that means for developers, operators and communities.
Targets, sector measures & practicalities of delivery across sectors
Delegates will assess progress towards interim and statutory targets, examining measures now in place or under development, and discussing where further action may be needed. The agenda will also consider how the costs, responsibilities and practical effects of different approaches might fall across sectors and groups.
Areas for discussion include:
- targets and accountability:
- progress towards the national air quality targets for 2030 and 2040 - reducing concentrations of PM2.5 and population exposure
- interaction between statutory targets, WHO guidance and action on other harmful pollutants - arrangements for assessing progress and reviewing policy
- cross-government responsibilities between Defra, DHSC and UKHSA, DfT, MHCLG and DESNZ
- domestic burning:
- next steps following consultation on reducing emissions from solid fuel burning - possible changes to standards for new stoves, labelling and enforcement
- the future use of stoves as secondary heating - effects on households, manufacturers, retailers and local authorities
- industry:
- approaches to reducing emissions from small industrial combustion plants - possible changes to standards and permitting
- costs and compliance requirements, particularly for smaller operators - options for providing the certainty needed for investment and business planning
- agriculture:
- approaches to reducing ammonia emissions - proposals to extend environmental permitting to intensive beef and dairy production
- the respective roles of regulation, grants, advice, monitoring and industry-led action - implications for farm businesses
- finance and support:
- access to finance, incentives and technical advice - support for businesses, farms and other affected organisations in adapting to new requirements
- timing of changes and readiness across supply chains
Planning, permitting & development
Further discussion will examine whether planning and permitting reforms can give developers and operators greater certainty without adding to exposure in communities already affected by poor air quality.
Areas for discussion include:
- permitting reform:
- modernisation of the Environment Agency’s permitting service through the Accelerated Permitting Transformation Programme
- priorities for timeliness, consistency and clarity for applicants - resources and expertise needed by regulators - arrangements for accountability
- planning policy:
- treatment of air quality following consultation on the draft revised NPPF - use of health evidence in plan-making and development decisions
- forthcoming changes to housing standards affecting ventilation and indoor air quality
- Future Homes Standard from March 2027 - extension of the Decent Homes Standard to the privately rented sector from 2035 - Approved Document F updates coming into force in 2027
- how national targets should inform local assessment
- growth and infrastructure:
- implications for housing, industrial and infrastructure development - certainty for developers and operators
- approaches to mitigation - avoiding additional exposure in communities already affected by poor air quality
- coordination:
- links between planning, permitting and Local Air Quality Management - respective responsibilities of the Environment Agency and local authorities
- Environmental Delivery Plans under the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 - implications for how environmental impacts are addressed in development decisions
Local delivery, evidence & public health
Sessions will examine how far current local arrangements are protecting those most at risk, and where gaps in capacity, evidence and accountability remain.
Areas for discussion include:
- local capacity:
- funding, staffing and technical expertise - powers and resources for monitoring and enforcement - priorities for developing and implementing Air Quality Action Plans
- data and assessment:
- making national emissions data more useful for local decision-making - addressing gaps in monitoring across urban, rural and indoor settings
- which interventions are reducing pollution and exposure - taking account of factors such as wildfires and the interaction between climate change and air pollution
- influence of global wildfire smoke on UK PM2.5 levels and implications for assessing progress towards statutory targets
- public health and inequalities:
- what evidence from the London ULEZ, including on children’s respiratory health, suggests about the benefits of local action - and how far results might be replicated elsewhere
- emerging evidence on wider health impacts, including mental health
- reducing exposure in pollution hotspots - targeted action for groups at greater risk - air quality in homes, schools, workplaces and public buildings
- scrutiny, engagement and accountability:
- wider issues from the Environmental Audit Committee’s Air Pollution in England inquiry, including national leadership, clarity of responsibilities and translating evidence into action
- public information, alerts and dashboards - Defra’s opt-in air quality alert service - involving communities in local action - transparency over progress and outcomes
Transport, places & decarbonisation
Further sessions consider the future contribution of transport and place-based policy to improving air quality, including how priorities may change as exhaust emissions decline and non-exhaust and other sources become more prominent.
Areas for discussion include:
- local transport:
- future approaches to low-emission and clean-air zones - how air quality should be reflected in Local Transport Plans
- effectiveness, accessibility and affordability - implications for businesses, residents and different places
- vehicle transition:
- the Government’s ZEV Mandate Review consultation - implications of the rise to 33% for new car registrations in 2026 and the 2030 phase-out of new cars powered solely by petrol or diesel
- addressing brake, tyre and road-wear emissions - considerations for future standards and monitoring requirements
- strengthening measures for in‑use vehicle emissions, following DfT’s consultation on proposals to tighten legal requirements to support air quality and public health objectives
- freight and other sources:
- emissions associated with freight, logistics and ports - priorities for rail, aviation, construction and non-road mobile machinery
- next steps for operational change, regulation and new technology
- public transport and air quality on the railway - in-service emissions testing for diesel trains
- wider coordination:
- how air quality should be considered alongside transport decarbonisation, energy use and development of the built environment
- measures that can support both climate and public health objectives - where action to reduce carbon emissions may not deliver equivalent improvements in air quality
- evidence on the combined health and economic benefits of tackling shared drivers of air pollution and climate change
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Department for Transport; Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade; Ministry of Defence; Government Legal Department; Office for Environmental Protection; Environment Agency; UK Health Security Agency; Active Travel England; Maritime and Coastguard Agency; Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, NI; Department for the Economy, NI; Transport Scotland; National Wealth Fund; and the Welsh Government.
