Air quality reports
The Council is required to submit regular reports on air quality to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
The objective of an air quality report is to provide updates on air quality issues, including developments that might be significant to air quality.
Our reports
We publish annual reports that provide a detailed overview of air quality in the borough. Every five years we also create a new action plan which describes the actions that we will take over that period.
Our most recent plan goes beyond the legal requirements by committing to more ambitious air quality standards and actions, to protect our residents and anyone who spends time in our borough.
2026
2025
2024
2023
2022
(pdf, 2.4 MB)2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Older reports
View our historical reports from 2016 and earlier.
Reports on air quality and their purpose
The reports are part of the review and assessment process which was a statutory duty under the Local Air Quality Management process, under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. This required each local authority to review and assesses the air quality within its geographical area against the standards and objectives given in the Air Quality Regulations 1997.
- First Stage Review and Assessment of Air Quality in Richmond: To identify which of the seven key pollutants require detailed monitoring and modelling
- Second Stage Review and Assessment of Air Quality in Richmond: To assess which of the three key pollutants from the stage 1 review require further assessment
- Third Stage Review and Assessment of Air Quality in Richmond: The third stage of the review and assessment process requires a detailed assessment of both current air quality and future air quality across the Council's geographical area for those pollutants identified from stage 2 i.e. nitrogen dioxide and particulates
- Fourth Stage Review and Assessment of Air Quality in Richmond: To confirm the need to declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) due to elevated nitrogen dioxide and particulate concentrations
- Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP): Actions to improve the air quality within the AQMA
- Update and Screening Assessments: Regular updates on air quality outside the AQMA
Contact
For further information, you can contact us by:
- Email: pollution@merton.gov.uk
- Telephone: 020 8545 3025
Up to: Air pollution
Updated: 13 November 2026
