Air Quality Assessments in Birmingham

Birmingham’s Environmental Standards for Clean Air

The third largest city in England by population behind London and Manchester, the metropolitan area of Birmingham alone possesses an estimated population surpassing 860,000. It was the intention of the local council to transform Birmingham into a world-class city by 2031. By this point, it was estimated that the population would have risen by a further 156,000 people, meaning that an increased number of residential units and premises for businesses and jobs would need to be developed to make the city accessible to a larger population.

Current air quality statistics suggest that Birmingham remains one of the cities in the UK with the highest air pollution levels, equating to around 1,000 deaths a year that were primarily caused by sources of air pollution such as the use of diesel vehicles. It is claimed that living in the vicinity of Birmingham specifically raises the risk of lung cancer in healthy individuals by 4.1% as a direct result of poor air quality, and in addition to that, it has been proven to increase the risk of health issues, conditions and defects in sensitive groups, such as heart failure and respiratory disease.

Effects on Planning Caused by Air Quality

Each part of the UK will be concerned if a land or property development could be affected by poor air quality, but in a location with high pollution levels like Birmingham, the local councils will enforce particularly tight restrictions. Issues ranging from minor and almost insignificant to major and unavoidably detrimental can come from refusing to acknowledge a need for surveys that directly support planning. Not only that, but by ignoring any delicate problems on a development site, a successful application for planning permission will be difficult to obtain.

Although it may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to the early planning stage of your development, air quality can negatively impact the environment and individuals within the vicinity of the area. For instance, if a location is lacking in clean air, the construction workers conducting the development works and future occupants working or living at the property may be affected. Alternatively, the practices executed to complete the planning project – such as any machinery that produces dust or chemicals, omitting harmful gasses – will worsen the state of local air quality.

Guaranteeing sufficient air quality management during any form of construction work would be a crucial part of the planning process, whether that involves understanding the air quality in the local area, gauging if your processes will impact clean air, or a mix of the two depending on the nature of your plans. Various forms of air quality assessments are at your disposal, and each of them is designed to deal with a different issue such as dust, odour, indoor air quality or outdoor air quality. Arbtech can help with undertaking air quality surveys, assisting you with your needs and getting planning conditions over the line.

Surveys on Air Quality

In a detailed air quality assessment – also known as an air quality impact assessment, air quality natural assessment and air quality positive assessment – a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the proposed site will be undertaken. It is a common asset in a registered air quality management area (AQMA) or a large-scale development, and like site suitability assessments for obtaining data on road traffic emissions, a detailed air quality assessment will use air dispersion modelling software. Air quality statements also show similarities to air quality impact assessments, except for the fact that they are summarised with an environmental statement chapter instead of an air quality report.

Looking at the air quality of buildings and other closed spaces, an indoor air quality assessment will work to cover such areas and air quality monitoring can be used for ongoing observation in real time if the level of air pollution is expected to change over the course of a minimum of three months under the guidelines created by DEFRA. Due to the frequency of materials appearing on a development site, a number of different assessments are also available for surveys on dust, odour, pollutant concentrations, and chemicals such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

Alternative options for air quality inspections also include a preliminary air quality constraints assessment for outlining existing air quality based on existing records and air quality maps. Any air quality reports or environmental statement chapters that come from the surveys will then involve all of the compensation or mitigation measures required to move forward with your development. Simply submit the accompanying documentation to your local planning authority, and it should help with securing planning consent.

Talk to Arbtech About Booking an Assessment

At any point that your development stands a chance of exceeding legal limits of air pollution, intersects with an existing air quality management area (AQMA) or could suffer from the outdoor activities of already poor air quality in the local area, an air quality assessment will be the natural next step. Our team are fully trained, licensed and educated to a satisfactory level for leading air quality assessments, and through coverage all over the UK, we can guarantee air quality consultants that are situated in Birmingham and possess a comprehensive understanding of Birmingham City Council and the relevant planning requirements.

Operating a multitude of data sources such as the results of dispersion modelling, the local air quality map, the present impact on sensitive groups and observations that come from years of experience as an air quality consultant, we can offer you a thorough service that leaves no stone left unturned and tangible evidence to back up your planning application. Request a free quote from the administration team at Arbtech by filling out a quote form on our website, calling us or emailing us, and we can show you how much an air quality assessment would cost on your site and plan a date for an air quality consultant to attend.