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.Â
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.Â
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.
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
ModellingÂ
- 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
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Planning after lockdown: Clearing the air
Read articleFiona 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
Read articleFiona 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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Air quality in winter
Read articleFiona Prismall, Technical Director, looks at the effects we see in winter.
Mitigation guidance
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