Air Quality

Air pollution can be a critical consideration for development projects. Changes in air quality, dust and odour levels can have a significant impact on the health of surrounding communities and ecosystems. We are experienced in meeting and mitigating these challenges and our experts can help our clients to find ways to maintain compliance with regulatory requirements at the lowest possible cost.

Providing workable solutions to complex issues

We evaluate the impacts of new developments on the surrounding environment and site suitability and advise on the options for proportionate mitigation.

We identify significant compliance concerns and integrate the fundamental technical and regulatory aspects of facility operations into business decision making.

Our approach is based on upfront consultation with the local planning and permitting authority and regulators, utilising best practice methods of assessment and robust responses to any post-submission queries. This means our clients benefit from enhanced prospects for obtaining planning permission and other consents.

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Our expertise

Consultancy

Assessments for planning applications
Permitting strategy
Local, state and/or federal permitting
Compliance management assistance
Rule applicability determinations
Independent peer review
Provision of expert witness evidence at public inquiries and other proceedings
Negotiation of Section 106 agreements for air quality, dust and odour
Consultation with regulatory technical specialists

Modelling

Screening models, and advanced atmospheric dispersion models such as ADMS and AERMOD
Stack height determinations
Human health risk and population exposure assessments
Critical load/level modelling for sensitive ecosystems

Monitoring

Design of monitoring strategies and protocols – members of our team have written official published monitoring guidance for the Environment Agency and Defra
Baseline and post-development ambient monitoring surveys
Monitoring of the full range of particulate and gaseous pollutants using automatic, manual and passive (e.g. diffusion tube) techniques
Monitoring of odour impacts by sensory surveys, olfactometry, analysers, odour diaries and complaints analysis
Monitoring of PM₁₀ and nuisance dust as deposition or soiling rate, flux and chemical analysis

INSIGHTS

Planning after lockdown: Clearing the air
- Fiona Prismall
- |
- UK
Fiona Prismall, Technical Director, delves deeper into the headlines surrounding lockdown’s impact on air quality and considers the implications for development projects as we begin to emerge from COVID-19.

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Planning after lockdown: Why we need to talk about indoor air quality
- Fiona Prismall
- |
- UK
Fiona Prismall explains the often over-looked risk of indoor air pollutants and why we may see a shift in the influence this has on planning decisions in the future.

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