Local information requirements: Air quality assessment

Types of application that require this information

Any development which introduces any of the following:

• A new relevant receptor (for example, a sensitive end use such as residential, school and so on) into an area of relatively poor air quality, for example the Air Quality Management Area or an area where there is a source of odour and/or dust that may affect health and amenity for future occupants of the development (regardless of scale[*]).
• An activity associated with significant sources of dust or odours (for example all mineral development, waste handling construction and demolition).
• An activity that requires an Environmental Permit.
• Have one or more substantial combustion processes where there is a risk of impacts at relevant receptors, including combustion plant associated with standby emergency generators (typically associated with centralised energy centres), shipping, waste incineration or biomass plant.

In addition, an air quality assessment will be required if any of the indicative criteria in 'A' below apply, together with any of the criteria in 'B'

Criteria - A

• Residential development greater than 10 or more dwellings or development above 0.5 ha (site area) where the number is unknown.
• More than 1000 m² of floor space for all other uses or a site area greater than 1 ha.

Criteria - B

• The development is likely to create or result in a significant change in traffic flows. [*]
• The development will involve the realignment of roads, ie changing the proximity of receptors to traffic lanes, where the change is 5m or more and the road is within an AQMA.
• The development will introduce a new junction or remove an existing junction near to relevant receptors.
• Introduce or change a bus station.
• Have an underground car park with an extraction system and more than 100 vehicle movements per day

Indicative criteria for requiring an air quality assessment

[*] Significant is considered to be:

• a change of Light duty Vehicles (<3.5T) flows of more than 100 AADT (annual average daily traffic) within or adjacent to an AQMA or more than 500 AADT elsewhere OR
• The development is likely to result in a significant change in Heavy Duty Vehicle (>3.5T) flows of more than 25 AADT within or adjacent to an AQMA OR
• More than 100 AADT elsewhere.

Applicants are advised to scope any air quality assessment with Salford City Council prior to submission at Environment.Team@salford.gov.uk. For a more definitive list please and further information on air quality assessments please refer to the latest Environmental Protection UK/ Institute of Air Quality Management guidance on land use planning and development control.

Details of what should be included

The Air Quality Assessment must demonstrate the likely changes in air quality or exposure to air pollution, as a result of a proposed development and in relation to health based statutory and proposed air quality standards and objectives. This would normally involve screening and where appropriate dispersion modelling to:

• Assess the existing air quality in the study area (existing baseline)
• Predict the future air quality without the development in place (future baseline which may or may not include the contribution of committed development)
• Predict the future air quality with the development in place (with development)
• Assess the significance of the effect of any impacts identified. (The factor of greatest importance would be the difference in air quality with the proposed development, compared to the baseline (without the development).
• The cumulative impact of developments should be considered. It may be necessary to model another future scenario, with committed development excluded, to allow the cumulative impact of all such future developments with planning permission to be assessed as one combined impact at sensitive receptors. In most circumstances, it is more likely that committed development would be included in the future baseline where the information exists to facilitate this.

Further details can be found in the NPPF, NPPG, the Institute of Air Quality Management guidance on Land-Use Planning and Development Control:  Planning for Air Quality: (Latest Version) and the latest version of the Greater Manchester Air Quality Action Plan.

Other information about air quality.