Thousands of households in Norwich could soon face penalties of up to £300 under plans to expand smoke control regulations across the entire city. Norwich City Council, led by the Green Party administration, has approved an Air Quality Action Plan to turn the entire city into a Smoke Control Area.
Public Opposition Overruled
Despite a recent public consultation showing that over half of local respondents (55%) opposed the restrictions, the council is pressing ahead due to concerns over fine particulate emissions and their impact on public health. The consultation received 558 responses, with 37% supporting the plan and 8% unsure, according to the BBC.
What Smoke Control Areas Mean
In smoke control areas, you cannot release smoke from a chimney and can only burn authorised fuel, unless you use an appliance approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), known as an exempt appliance. Unauthorised fuels, such as wood, can only be burned in exempt appliances like some boilers, cookers, and stoves. You must only use the types of fuel that the manufacturer says can be used in the appliance, the government explained.
In England, you may have to pay a penalty of up to £300 if your chimney releases smoke in a smoke control area. You can also be fined up to £1,000 if you buy unauthorised fuel to use in an appliance that is not approved by Defra.
Council's Justification
Toby Bolton, Green cabinet member for climate, said the consultation led to a "mixed response" but added that the results "may not fully capture the experiences of all communities." He also said the growth of these emissions is a "concern" to the administration. Researchers at University College London estimate that there are about 100 stoves per square kilometre in Norwich.
Resident Concerns
One local resident said: "It would be a travesty of our human rights to ban our ability to heat our homes with wood. Let us keep our wood burners – they're a great plan B when we can't afford the heating bill from gas in the winter."
Existing Smoke Control Areas
Most major cities in England fall under a Defra Smoke Control Area, including most of London, as well as most of Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, and Liverpool. To find out if you live in a smoke control area, you should contact your local council's environmental services department.
A Defra spokesperson previously said: "This is about cutting the most harmful emission to human health, usually in built up areas where they can do most damage, and is not about whether a building has a chimney. Smoke Control Areas stop chimneys from releasing smoke and only allow certain fuels to be burnt unless an approved appliance is used. Local authorities are responsible for enforcing Smoke Control Areas to protect the health of local communities."
