Clean Air Month highlights why developers, contractors and site managers must manage construction dust, PM10, PM2.5, odour and indoor air quality through robust assessments, monitoring and planning compliance.

Clean air is not only a public health issue.

It is now a construction, planning, compliance and reputation issue.

As the UK marks Clean Air Day on 18 June 2026, the construction sector has a timely opportunity to show leadership.

Clean Air Day is the UK's largest public air pollution campaign, engaging businesses, schools, hospitals, local authorities and communities to take action on air pollution.

Global Action Plan

For developers, contractors, architects, planning consultants and project managers, this is not about slogans. It is about how sites are designed, assessed, monitored and managed from planning through to construction delivery.

Construction activity remains a significant contributor to particulate matter emissions. DEFRA's latest UK emissions statistics report that construction accounted for 18% of total UK PM10 emissions and 4% of total PM2.5 emissions in 2024. These particles can affect nearby residents, schools, hospitals, workers, pedestrians and sensitive ecological receptors.

GOV.UK

The message for Clean Air Month is simple: you cannot manage what you do not measure.

Construction dust is not just "a bit of site nuisance", dust from demolition, earthworks, construction and trackout can create visible soiling, complaints, planning enforcement risks and potential health concerns.

The IAQM construction dust guidance assesses dust risk across four key activities: demolition, earthworks, construction and trackout. � This matters because every stage of a construction project can create a different dust risk profile.

IAQM

A low-risk internal refurbishment is not the same as a major demolition site near homes, schools or healthcare facilities. A rural site with good separation distances is not the same as an urban site next to flats, nurseries, care homes or busy footways.

That is why a proportionate dust risk assessment should consider:

- site location and surrounding receptors

- demolition and construction activities

- earthworks and exposed surfaces

- vehicle movements and trackout

- prevailing wind direction

- duration and phasing of works

- site-specific mitigation

- the need for real-time monitoring

- planning conditions and local authority expectations

Clean air nugget 1: PM10 and PM2.5 are not the same thing

PM10 refers to particles with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 micrometres or smaller. PM2.5 refers to finer particles, 2.5 micrometres or smaller.

Both are relevant, but PM2.5 is especially important from a public health perspective because finer particles can travel deeper into the respiratory system. DEFRA's PM2.5 planning guidance states that applicants and local planning authorities should consider development impacts on air quality in ambient outdoor air, even where no local monitor is present. 

For construction projects, PM10 is often used for dust monitoring and compliance, but PM2.5 should not be ignored, particularly where combustion sources, generators, plant, road traffic, cutting, grinding, confined work areas or sensitive receptors are involved.

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Clean air nugget 2: A Dust Management Plan should be practical, not generic

A good Dust Management Plan should not read like a copied template.

It should tell the site team exactly what to do, when to do it, and who is responsible. The best plans include practical controls such as:

• wheel washing and road sweeping

• damping down during dry or windy conditions

• covered skips and stockpiles

• speed limits on haul routes

• use of enclosed cutting or local extraction where possible

• sheeting of vehicles carrying dusty materials

• phased demolition and good housekeeping

• visual inspections and daily site logs

• real-time dust monitoring where risk justifies it

• clear action levels and escalation procedures

A planning officer, environmental health officer or local resident does not want vague wording. They want evidence that the site has recognised the risk and has a credible control strategy.

Clean air nugget 3: Real-time monitoring protects the programme

Construction dust monitoring is often seen as a cost. In reality, it can protect the project programme.

Real-time monitors can help identify dust events early, support site decision-making, provide evidence during complaints, and demonstrate compliance with planning conditions or Section 106 requirements.

For higher-risk sites, live PM10 monitoring with alert thresholds can help the site manager act before a complaint becomes an enforcement issue. This is particularly important where works are near homes, schools, hospitals, care homes, rail corridors, highways or high-footfall areas.

The HS2 programme, for example, requires air quality and dust monitoring reports as part of its Code of Construction Practice and environmental commitments.  That shows where major infrastructure expectations are heading: monitoring, evidence, reporting and accountability.

Clean air nugget 4: Construction air quality is also about people indoors

Air quality does not stop at the site boundary.

Construction, refurbishment and fit-out works can affect indoor air quality through dust migration, VOCs, adhesives, paints, resins, combustion emissions, moisture, mould risk and poor ventilation.

This is particularly relevant for:

• occupied buildings

• schools and nurseries

• healthcare settings

• care homes

• offices

• residential conversions

• fire and flood restoration works

• energy retrofit projects

• new homes with low ventilation rates

• projects involving kitchens, extract systems or odour sources

Indoor air quality should be considered early, especially where works involve sensitive occupiers or where complaints may arise after handover.

Clean air nugget 5: Odour can damage confidence quickly

Odour is often underestimated in construction and planning.

Odour issues may arise from contaminated land, drainage, waste, commercial kitchens, industrial uses, agriculture, solvents, resins, adhesives, stagnant water, mould or poor ventilation.

Unlike many pollutants, odour is immediate and personal. People react quickly when they smell something unpleasant, even where pollutant concentrations are low.

For planning applications, odour assessments and mitigation strategies can help demonstrate that future occupiers and neighbouring receptors will be protected. For live sites, odour logs, sniff testing, weather review, source-pathway-receptor assessment and mitigation measures can help manage complaints in a structured way.

What developers and contractors should do during Clean Air Month

Clean Air Month is a strong moment for the construction sector to review its air quality responsibilities.

For active and upcoming projects, ask these questions:

• Has the site had a construction dust risk assessment?

• Are sensitive receptors within the relevant screening distance?

• Has the Dust Management Plan been tailored to the actual site?

• Are mitigation measures realistic for the site team?

• Is real-time PM10 or PM2.5 monitoring needed?

• Are there odour, VOC, mould or indoor air quality risks?

• Are planning conditions being discharged properly?

• Is there evidence to defend the project if complaints arise?

• Are subcontractors briefed on dust and air quality controls?

A strong air quality strategy helps projects avoid delays, complaints, enforcement risk and reputational damage.

How Freshbreeze Environmental Ltd supports construction projects

Freshbreeze Environmental Ltd provides independent air quality and environmental consultancy support for planning, construction and compliance.

Our services include:

• Air Quality Assessments for planning applications

• Construction Dust Risk Assessments

Dust Management Plans

• Real-time dust monitoring strategies

PM10 and PM2.5 monitoring

• Indoor Air Quality assessments

• Odour assessments and mitigation advice

• Air Quality Neutral and Air Quality Positive support

• CEMP air quality input

• Planning condition discharge support

• Monitoring reports and compliance evidence

We work with developers, contractors, architects, planning consultants, project managers, schools, healthcare settings, commercial operators and local authority-facing projects.

Our focus is simple: clear advice, defensible evidence and practical mitigation that keeps projects moving.

Clean Air Month takeaway.. 

Clean air is not separate from construction quality. It is part of responsible design, safe delivery, planning compliance and community confidence.

The construction industry has a direct role in reducing dust, emissions, odour and indoor air quality risks. Clean Air Month is the right time to move from basic compliance to better evidence, better monitoring and better site practice.

For upcoming developments, refurbishments, demolition works or sensitive sites, early air quality advice can save time, cost and avoidable conflict.

Need support with construction dust, air quality, odour or IAQ compliance?

Freshbreeze Environmental Ltd can support your project from planning through to site delivery.

www.freshbreezeeltd.co.uk⁠