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

The Air Quality Positive Guidance
- Kathryn Barker
- |
- UK
The London Plan 2021 Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London, strives to improve air quality in the capital by introducing a new requirement for larger developments to be Air Quality Positive.

We previously wrote about the draft Air Quality Positive Guidance which was released for Consultation in November 2021, and set out what an Air Quality Positive Statement is.

With the final Air Quality Positive guidance released in February, Kathryn Barker, Principal Air Quality Consultant, recaps what an Air Quality Positive Statement is, and how developers can ensure that their developments are Air Quality Positive.

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The newly published Air Quality Neutral Guidance - what does it mean?
- |
- UK
Air Quality Neutral assessments require a comparison of building and transport emissions with benchmarks. Last year, we wrote about the Greater London Authority (GLA)'s new draft Air Quality Neutral Guidance, replacing its original guidance from 2014.

The final version of the new guidance has now been published, and Fiona Prismall, Technical Director for Air Quality, looks at the differences between the new Air Quality Neutral Guidance and its 2014 predecessor, with particular interest in how these changes affect prospects for developers in London.

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Planning for a Data Centre emergency with an Air Quality Management Plan
- |
- UK
With so many aspects of our economic, commercial and social lives now online, data centres have become one of the most important classes of infrastructure. With increasing concerns about power blackouts over the coming winter, our data centres must be designed and built for resilience, efficiency and security.

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