I can understand it in cities but there are ways this could have been done without the broad brush to all communities!
The Clean Air Act 1993 allows local authorities to:
Declaration of smoke control area by local authority.E+W+S(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 [F1in Wales]) [F2or Schedule 1A (penalty for emission of smoke in England)] 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 [F3or Schedule], upon such conditions as may be specified in the order;