A smoke control area is a designated area where the emission of smoke from burning solid fuel is not allowed.
If you want to burn wood in a smoke control area, you must use a Defra-approved stove. Alternatively, you can burn smokeless fuel in an open fire or non-approved stove. Read our smoke pollution page to find out more.
Emissions from burning solid fuel were first regulated under the Clean Air Act 1956, which introduced smoke control areas. This was later replaced by the Clean Air Act 1993, which remains the current legislation.
Smoke from chimneys contains tiny particles known as particulate matter, including PM10 and PM2.5. PM2.5 can travel deep into the lungs and cause or worsen many health conditions. Burning solid fuel is the largest source of PM2.5 emissions in Cambridge, as shown in the impact study [PDF, 0.8MB] we commissioned in 2024.
We are working to implement a citywide smoke control area. This follows a public consultation between January and April 2025 and approval at the Cabinet meeting on 24 June 2025. Like the existing areas, it will exclude residential moored vessels.
The process of revoking a smoke control area is guided by Defra. Their preferred approach is to first revoke existing areas, then declare a new one. There must be a six-month gap between issuing and implementing any revocation or creation order, so the process will take about a year.
Revoking the current smoke control areas
There are currently three smoke control areas in Cambridge. They were established in the 1960s and 1970s, since when the city has grown significantly. The areas now only cover a small part of the city, and most homes are located outside of them.
We have begun the process to revoke these current smoke control areas. Our smoke control orders are dated pre-1980, so we need permission to proceed from the government.
A consultation on revoking our smoke control orders will run from midday on Monday 20 October until 5pm on Friday 19 December 2025. Within this time, anybody who will be affected by the revocation can raise an objection by writing to Defra.
Send your objection to air.quality@defra.gov.uk or Air Quality and Industrial Emissions, Defra, Seacole Building, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF. Mark it ‘Objection to the revocation of smoke control orders in Cambridge’.
We have placed notices about this in the Cambridge Independent and London Gazette on 22 and 29 October 2025, as required by law.
Next steps
The current smoke control areas will remain in place until the citywide smoke control order comes into effect. Until then, we will continue to deal with smoke complaints outside the areas under nuisance legislation.
When we receive permission to proceed with the revocation, we will update this page with information about what will happen next.
