Environmental guidance for your business in Northern Ireland & Scotland
Local councils monitor air quality. If air quality fails to meet the required standards, they must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and set out a plan for making improvements.
If your business is in an AQMA, you could be affected by:
Find out whether your business is in an AQMA:
If you are in an AQMA, you can contact your local council to find out details about measures in place.
Smoke Control Areas (SCAs) are zones with restrictions on the release of smoke from their chimneys. In SCAs it is not allowed the release of smoke from a chimney, unless:
Except for these cases, in SCAs the emission of any smoke from a chimney, at any time, is an offence. You could be fined up to £1,000 if you break these rules.
Find out if you are in a SCA:
If you are a contractor and work at different locations you should check with the local council in each of these locations about their Smoke Control Areas.
Find out which fuels and exempted appliances you are allowed to use in SCAs in Northern Ireland:
Find out which fuels and exempted appliances you are allowed to use in SCAs in Scotland:
Causes and effects of air pollution
Business benefits of improving air quality
What you must do to prevent air pollution
Improve air quality: prevent dark smoke
Boilers and furnaces: environmental authorisations
Boilers and furnaces - chimney height requirements
Smoke control areas
Protecting neighbours from air pollution
Measuring and monitoring to reduce air pollution
Air Pollution environmental legislation
Groundwater in Northern Ireland, DAERA have produced a leaflet to raise awareness about this untapped resource
EU Exit, EU Exit useful information
View our latest videos & subscribe to our channel.
Free monthly email newsletter with environmental updates for Northern Ireland and Scotland