Barrack Street, Birmingham
Expertise Provided: Air Quality Consultant
Project Period: 2020
Project Type: Educational
Emergency support provided
Air Pollution Services was commissioned to undertake the air quality assessment in support of the full planning application for the Barrack Street development in Birmingham.
APS provided emergency support to the client. Despite being brought onboard at the last minute to take over from another consultancy, the assessment was completed within 3 days to ensure the application was not delayed.
Project Outline
A full planning application was submitted for the demolition of all existing buildings and the erection of new school.
An attempt at assessment air quality for the scheme had previously been provided by another consultancy, which included a three-month monitoring survey and a qualitative assessment. However, the scope did not fulfil the requirements of the Council and did not address some key concerns in the local area, including whether the development would delay compliance with the limit values and Birmingham City Council's efforts in implementing a Clean Air Zone.
A detailed assessment was thus required in a very short timescale to enable the application to progress.
Our Services
- Air Pollution Services acted as the air quality consultants for the planning application.
Our Role
Our air quality assessment focused on the potential impacts upon future users of the school, ensuring they will receive air quality below the national objectives, and the potential impacts of the school upon the local area, which included an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and a Clean Air Zone (CAZ).
This included detailed assessment of emissions from road traffic and emissions from the onsite combustion plant, comprising three water heaters and four boiler plant. The assessment utilised the findings of the previous monitoring, as well as other local monitoring carried out by the Council.
The detailed assessment demonstrated that the impacts would be not significant and it would not lead to the Council delaying compliance with the limit values.
Our Value
- Very fast turnaround - helping client.
- Provided client-focused support to ensure all concerns were addressed and explained in a clear and concise manner.
- Undertook the assessment with due diligence, identifying potential sources of concern and assessing them fully to ensure they were robustly considered.