Hackney Council consolidated its 27 separate smoke control areas into one borough-wide zone, with all of Hackney becoming a smoke control area from 1 December 20251. The council had consulted on its smoke control areas before making the decision to combine all 27 existing areas into one2.
The change does not stop residents using a wood-burning stove. Households in the new zone must follow the same rules that apply in every smoke control area in England: not emitting smoke from a chimney, and not buying or selling unauthorised fuel for use in a smoke control area unless it is for an exempt appliance3. Wood is classed as an unauthorised fuel under Defra's rules, so wood can only be burned in an exempt appliance, meaning a stove approved by Defra for use in smoke control areas following emissions tests3. Moored boats in Hackney are not subject to smoke control area rules2.
Hackney is one of several councils to have redrawn older boundaries. Oxford and Reading both became citywide smoke control areas at the end of 2024, with Reading's changes taking effect on 1 December 20241. Brighton & Hove City Council's cabinet approved a similar consolidation on 14 May 2026, replacing five existing zones with a single citywide area covering the entire built-up area including the city centre and Hove, with the South Downs National Park the only exclusion3. Brighton & Hove's existing smoke control areas date back to the 1970s, and Hove currently has none3.
Norwich City Council is expected to press ahead with plans to make the entire city a smoke control area, replacing three existing zones with a single citywide zone, but the proposed citywide area is not yet in force and the formal designation process takes time1. Cambridge City Council has announced intentions for a new citywide smoke control area to replace three smaller areas2. The Borough of Gedling is designated as a single smoke control area2.
"Hackney Council consulted on their smoke control areas, and made the decision to combine all the 27 existing smoke control areas into one borough-wide area, meaning all of Hackney became a smoke control area from 1 December 2025."
Why it matters for households
A smoke control area does not ban log burners, but it changes what a household can legally burn and in what. Inside a zone, smoke from a chimney is prohibited and wood counts as an unauthorised fuel, so a stove must be a Defra exempt appliance for wood to be burned at all3. Emitting smoke from a chimney can lead to a fixed penalty notice2. For a home that relies on a stove or open fire as part of its heating, the practical position depends on the appliance already installed and the fuel used, not on the boundary change itself. Consolidating many small zones into one removes the situation where two neighbouring streets fall under different rules, which is the stated reason councils give for the change3. HETAS states that a modern appliance burning quality dry fuel and operated correctly will meet the requirements without alteration1. Where a stove is faulty, blocked or operated incorrectly, excess smoke would breach the rules and risk a fine1. The fine for burning unauthorised fuel in a smoke control area is set out in the rules on unauthorised fuel fines, and the wider framework sits under smoke control regulation and policy.
What happens next
Brighton & Hove will finalise its Smoke Control Order, with communications to residents planned for autumn 2026 ahead of the winter heating season3. Norwich's citywide designation is not yet in force and no date for it has been reported1. Defra's UK AIR interactive map is updated as changes occur, and councils can confirm whether a property falls inside a boundary3.