Manchester City Council

Environmental problems Air quality

Air pollution can affect everyone’s health, particularly children, pregnant women, older people and people with existing heart or lung conditions.

National air quality objectives cover a range of pollutants. In Manchester, local monitoring and assessment focus on the pollutants most relevant to the city, particularly nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5).

There are also national targets for fine particulate matter: PM2.5. These aim to limit annual mean concentrations and reduce the population’s overall exposure to this pollutant. Further information is available on the Government’s PM2.5 targets page.

Manchester is part of the Greater Manchester Air Quality Management Area, which was declared because air quality objectives were not being achieved, and a plan developed that set out measures we would take to achieve the objectives.

Air quality has improved over time, but monitoring and action continue to ensure that legal requirements are met and improvements are maintained. Further reductions in air pollution can also provide additional public health benefits.

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Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan 

In 2025, the government approved Greater Manchester’s investment led Clean Air Plan. The plan aims to meet legal limits for NO2 on local roads without introducing a charging Clean Air Zone. There are no charges to drive anywhere in Greater Manchester.

The plan includes:

  • cleaner and zero emission buses, together with supporting charging infrastructure
  • funding to help eligible hackney carriage owners move to cleaner vehicles
  • traffic management measures in Manchester and Salford

Greater Manchester will continue to monitor and report on the effectiveness of the plan and take further action if required.

Find out more about the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan.

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