commercialhvacuk
Get a Quote

Air quality management areas: what they mean for ventilation intakes and filters

Updated 23 October 2026 · SEO Dons Editorial

What is an air quality management area?

Under section 83 of the Environment Act 1995, where a review shows that air quality standards or objectives are not being achieved, the local authority shall by order designate as an air quality management area (AQMA) any part of its area where they are not being met. A later order can vary or revoke it once the objectives are being achieved and are likely to stay so. The provision extends to England, Wales and Scotland; DEFRA's LAQM support site pairs the Act with the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 as the source of councils' duties.

Salford City Council's AQMA page (updated 28 November 2025) says the national NO2 objective is an annual mean of 40 micrograms per cubic metre, that the vast majority of the UK's more than 500 AQMAs are for NO2 from road traffic, and that maps are on the UK-AIR website. An AQMA is a council duty about an area. It is not itself a ventilation specification, which is why the design questions below matter. For the building duties, see commercial ventilation and MVHR.

How do you check whether a site is in one?

  1. Use the council's own AQMA map or page. The order is the legal source, and it names the pollutant.
  2. Check DEFRA's UK-AIR interactive map, which the DfE links from its education ventilation guidance. The Scottish Government's guidance says councils update the database so UK-AIR and the Air Quality in Scotland site show current information.
  3. Check the address and the road the intake faces. The Scottish guidance says boundaries range from isolated buildings, junctions and lengths of road to the entire authority area.
  4. Repeat at each design stage. Orders change: Leeds revoked five in 2024 and Glasgow has revoked two.

Which major cities have AQMAs?

The table is a snapshot from each council's own page, checked on 22 October 2026. Several pages are undated, and councils revise them.

PlaceWhat the council's page saysPage here
LondonHammersmith and Fulham, one example: the borough is designated an AQMA. Each borough decides its ownLondon
BirminghamThe whole of Birmingham is designated (page updated 12 June 2024)Birmingham
Greater ManchesterSalford: the AQMA defined in 2016 covers areas near major roads, motorways and Manchester city centre, and is part of the Greater Manchester AQMAManchester, North West
SheffieldDeclared March 2010 across the whole urban area, for NO2 and PM10Sheffield
NottinghamTwo remain: city centre north, east and south, and DunkirkNottingham
NewcastleTwo declared: City Centre and GosforthNewcastle
LeedsFive revoked (council news, 14 August 2024); Main Street, Pool-in-Wharfedale, remainsLeeds
GlasgowCity Centre is the only remaining active AQMAScotland
BelfastFour: M1 and Westlink corridor, Ormeau Road, Upper Newtownards Road, Cromac Street to Short StrandNo page on this site
WalesEvery Welsh authority must now review air quality each calendar year (section 82, in force 31 July 2025)Wales, Cardiff

What does an AQMA change for ventilation design?

Section 83 itself sets no filter grade or ventilation requirement. What matters is the outdoor air at the intake. HSE's guidance says to make sure clean outdoor air is actually supplied rather than assuming it is clean, and to filter it if it is expected to be heavily contaminated with particulates, such as from heavy traffic. CIBSE Journal's indoor air quality module says ventilation assumes good outdoor air, and where outdoor contaminants are continuously or intermittently high, controls are needed so ventilation does not worsen indoor air.

A May 2023 CIBSE Journal article quotes Approved Document F section 2: ventilation systems should be designed to minimise intake of external pollutants if the pollutant values at the location exceed the limits in its Table 2.1, or the building is near significant local pollution sources. As gov.uk states it, which edition applies depends on the standards the building is subject to, so read the section in the right one. In practice:

  • Intake siting. Sensible practice is to keep intakes away from kerbsides, junctions, loading bays and flues, as high as practical, and apart from the unit's own exhaust (Annex I defines mixing as short-circuiting between discharge and intake). CIBSE Journal warns DEFRA's outdoor data is low resolution and concentrations vary over short distances, so site-specific data beats a postcode average.
  • Time-limited reduction. The same article quotes the guidance as allowing, for time-limited periods where pollution varies through the day, such as urban road traffic, a reduction of external air flow or closing intakes when concentrations peak. That links to the demand-controlled ventilation guide, but a minimum ventilation rate must still hold for occupied rooms.
  • Natural or mechanical. Natural ventilation relies on windows and other openings, which bring roadside air straight in. A CIBSE Journal module on dwellings says mechanical ventilation suits many applications, particularly where there are issues with external noise or air quality.

Which filters help?

CIBSE Journal's non-residential module says urban buildings are likely to see higher PM1, PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide from vehicle emissions and heating combustion. It reads an F7 filter as roughly ISO 16890 ePM2.5 80% and an F9 as roughly ePM1 80%. Higher grades raise pressure drop and fan power. The ISO 16890 guide explains the classes.

ConcernFilterTrade-off
PM2.5F7 or ePM2.5 gradeMore fan power
PM1F9 or ePM1 gradeMore again
Nitrogen dioxide (a gas)Activated carbon stage, which particle filters do not replaceWeight and fan power

That module says particle filters will not filter out the gas and an active carbon filter is the route, adding weight and fan power. Monitoring needs the right sensors. CO2 does not track traffic pollution, and CIBSE Journal puts optical particle sensors at an accuracy of about ±10 to 20% against reference instruments, so treat them as indicative. You can send an enquiry through the form on this site.

Sources

Common questions

Does being in an AQMA mean a building needs a particular filter?

Not by itself. The Act places a duty on the council to designate an area. Design guidance, as CIBSE Journal quotes Approved Document F, looks at the pollutant values at the building's location and nearby sources, and a designer then chooses the intake position and filtration.

Can an AQMA be removed?

Yes. Section 83 lets the council revoke an order when later review shows the objectives are being achieved and likely to stay so. Leeds revoked five in 2024 and Glasgow has revoked two, so a design should not depend on the status staying the same.

Should intakes close at rush hour?

The guidance quoted by CIBSE Journal allows it only for time-limited periods, where pollution varies through the day. Occupied rooms still need ventilation, so the control needs a minimum flow and a sensor-based or scheduled strategy agreed with the designer.

Are the rules the same across the UK?

Part IV of the 1995 Act extends to England, Wales and Scotland. Welsh authorities must now review air quality every calendar year, Scotland has its own policy guidance, and Northern Ireland works under a 2002 Order. The building regulations also differ by nation, so check which applies.

Ask for commercial HVAC quotes

SEO Dons Ltd publishes this site and replies to every enquiry by email. It does not install, service or maintain HVAC.

Get a quote
Get a quote