3. Air Quality Impact Assessment (AQIA)
What is it?
Policy ENV1 of the Plan Strategy states that planning permission will be granted for development that will maintain and, where possible, enhance environmental quality, and protects communities from materially harmful development. Development must not result in an unacceptable adverse impact on the environment, including air quality.
An Air Quality Impact Assessment (AQIA) is a process for determining the significance of the impact of proposed development on ambient air quality or determining the significance of the impact of local ambient air quality on proposed development. These impacts may need to be quantified and evaluated in the context of existing air quality, air quality objectives or limits.
When is it required?
An AQIA should be provided where the proposal:
- is to be located in an existing area of poor air quality such as in the case of an application for residential development;
- will cause a significant increase in road traffic flows or changes the proximity to receptors, e.g. car parks, realigned roads, junctions etc;
- introduces one or more substantial combustion processes, e.g. centralised boilers, generators, CHP plant or biomass, where there is a risk of impact at relevant receptors; or
- gives rise to potentially unacceptable air pollution impacts (such as dust) at nearby sensitive locations during demolition or construction processes.
What should be included?
An AQIA should be undertaken with reference to the Government’s local air quality management technical guidance (link opens in new window) (LAQM.TG (16) and associated air quality screening and assessment tools (link opens in new window). Where necessary, the AQIA should also have regard to the requirements of the IAQM Guidance on the Assessment of Dust from Demolition and Construction. The AQIA may take the form of either a simple or detailed assessment but it must be sufficient to determine the significance of air quality impacts.
Where the AQIA predicts that new development may give rise to, or experience a significant adverse air quality impact, the assessment should set out the measures to avoid, reduce and, where appropriate, offset the impact to ensure that relevant receptors are not exposed to pollution levels in excess of ambient air quality objectives or limits.
Guidance
In determining whether new development requires an AQIA, the Council refers to best practice guidance such as Environmental Protection UK and the Institute of Air Quality Management, Land-use Planning & Development Control: Planning For Air Quality (January 2017).
Information about current and historic ambient pollution levels, Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) and the Council’s various air quality reports can be found at: www.airqualityni.co.uk (link opens in new window).
The Belfast City Council Air Quality Action Plan 2021 to 2026 can be found at: Air Quality Action Plan.
