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 PM_2.5. PM_2.5 can travel deep into the lungs and cause or worsen many health conditions. Burning solid fuel is the largest source of PM_2.5 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, and the city has grown significantly since. The areas now only cover a small part of the city, and most homes are located outside of them.

A consultation on revoking our smoke control orders ran from midday on Monday 20 October until 5pm on Friday 19 December 2025. Notices were placed in the London Gazette and Cambridge Independent for two consecutive weeks as required by law. Within this time, anybody who will be affected by the revocation could raise an objection by writing to Defra.

This consultation is now closed. We received a decision from the Secretary of State to proceed on 7 May 2026. This decision can come into effect any day six months from the date of the letter.

• Smoke Control Revocation Order notice [PDF, 0.1MB]
• Draft Smoke Control Revocation Order [PDF, 0.1MB]
• Defra decision notice letter dated 7 May 2026 [PDF, 88Kb]

Declaring a citywide smoke control area

We have now begun the process to declare a new citywide smoke control area, which will replace the existing three smaller smoke control areas.

As per the legal requirements of the Clean Air Act 1993, a public notice has been placed in the London Gazette and in the Cambridge Independent on 3 and 10 June 2025.

• Smoke Control Order notice [PDF, 0.1MB]
• Draft Smoke Control Order [PDF, 0.1MB]

Consultation

A consultation on the declaration of the new city wide smoke control order is running from midday on Monday 1 June until 5pm on Friday 10 July 2026.

As well as downloading the draft Smoke Control Order [PDF, 0.1MB], you can inspect a copy of it free of charge at our customer service centre at Mandela House on Regent street during the consultation period. The centre is open from 9.15am to 5pm, Wednesday to Friday. You can also contact us by email to request a copy.

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.

We will update this page when we have a clearer idea of lead-in times for implementation.