3. Ambient 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 ambient air quality.
Ambient 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 will generally need to be quantified and evaluated in the context of air quality objectives or limits, having regard to existing ambient air quality in the area of the development, and to air ambient quality in the area of the development in the anticipated year of the development opening, or the year that the development is to be completed, if it is to be phased.
When is it required?
An AQIA should be provided where the proposal will:
- introduce new (public) exposure into an existing area of poor air quality, such as in the case of an application for residential development within an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) or for residential development near to a significant air pollution source;
- cause a significant increase in road traffic flows and / or a change in the proximity of receptors to road traffic sources, such as car parks, bus stations and new or realigned roads, junctions or roundabouts, etc.
- introduce new or increase existing industrial installations;
- introduce new or increase existing non-road transport sources, including airports, railways, and shipping; or
- introduce 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.
What should be included?
The content of an AQIA is detailed within Chapter 6 of Environmental Protection UK and Institute of Air Quality Management, Land-Use Planning & Development Control: Planning for Air Quality (January 2017) publication.
An AQIA should be undertaken with reference to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) local air quality management technical guidance (LAQM.TG(22)) and associated air quality screening and assessment tools.
Where necessary, an AQIA should also have regard to the requirements of the IAQM Guidance on the Assessment of Dust from Demolition and Construction and the IAQM Guidance on Monitoring in the Vicinity of Demolition and Construction Sites.
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 mitigation measures to avoid, reduce and, where appropriate, offset the impact to ensure that relevant receptors are not exposed to air pollution levels in excess of ambient air quality objectives or limits.
Guidance
Information about current and historic ambient air pollution levels, Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) and the Council’s various air quality assessment reports may be obtained from Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) NI Air Website.
The Belfast City Council Air Quality Action Plan 2021 to 2026 can be found at: Air Quality Action Plan.
An AQIA should consider the impact on the marine environment, where appropriate.
