Smoke control zones

The increase in air pollution promoted the government and local authorities to create smoke control zones for certain urban areas in the UK. These zones mean that individuals within residential and commercial properties are prohibited from burning fuel that emits dark smoke for example wood and bituminous coal.

The smoke control zone section of the Clean Air Act 1993 reads as follows:-

(1) A local authority may by order declare the whole or any part of the district of the authority to be a smoke control area; and any order made under this section is referred to in this Act as a “smoke control order”.
(2) A smoke control order—
(a) may make different provision for different parts of the smoke control area;
(b) may limit the operation of section 20 (prohibition of emissions of smoke) to specified classes of building in the area; and
(c) may exempt specified buildings or classes of building or specified fireplaces or classes of fireplace in the area from the operation of that section, upon such conditions as may be specified in the order;
and the reference in paragraph (c) to specified buildings or classes of building include a reference to any specified, or to any specified classes of, fixed boiler or industrial plant.
(3) A smoke control order may be revoked or varied by a subsequent order.
(4) The provisions of Schedule 1 apply to the coming into operation of smoke control orders.

These smoke control zones have meant an increase in the production of mutlifuel stoves that allow the user to burn either wood in rural areas or solid smokeless fuels in urban areas. These give a a great deal of versatility and enable a wide range of people to have a stove within their home.  Franco Belge have now introduced their Savoy Mk II woodburning model which has been approved by DEFRA for woodburning within smoke control zones.  This means that if you live within a smoke control zone you can now burn wood on your Franco Belge Savoy Mk II model.

It is important to remember though that any smokeless fuels can be burned in smoke control zones without needing to buy a DEFRA approved stove however you must only burn smokeless fuels.  If you wish to burn wood whilst being in a smoke controlled zones you will have to purchase a DEFRA approved model and some of these can also burn smokeless fuels so you are not limited to burning just one fuel type.