Air and Flood Consultants
Specialist Air Quality & Flood Risk Assessments for Planning Applications in the UK
Air and Flood Consultants offers expert environmental assessments that support planning applications throughout the UK. We specialise in Air Quality and Flood Risk Assessments, making sure your projects meet regulatory requirements whilst championing sustainable and resilient developments. Our reports are tailored to your needs, helping developers, architects, and planners work through environmental challenges without the usual headaches.
Air Quality Assessment
Our Air Quality Assessments (AQA) cover the requirements for planning applications, including:
Basic AQA - Qualitative Desk-Based Assessment:
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Required for all minor developments located within Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) in the UK or Air Quality Focus Areas (AQFAs) across London.
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Air Quality Statement – a desktop review of local air quality, utilising existing monitoring and/or modelling datasets to demonstrate compliance with relevant local air quality policies and development plan requirements.
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Air Quality Impact Assessment (AQIA) - a quantification of receptors exposed to poor air quality as a result of the proposed development, identifying the number and location of sensitive receptors potentially affected.
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Air Quality Dust Risk Assessment (AQDRA) – an assessment of the impact on air quality during the construction phase and specification of appropriate mitigation measures in accordance with IAQM guidance.
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Air Quality Neutral Assessment (London) – an assessment of development compliance with London Plan air quality neutral benchmarks, comprising both Transport Emissions and Building Emissions components.
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Ventilation Strategy – a technical appraisal and recommendations for ventilation system design to optimise indoor air quality within new developments, ensuring adequate fresh air provision whilst minimising occupant exposure to external pollutants.
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Mitigation Planning & Justification – a development of site-specific air quality mitigation strategies to minimise pollutant emissions and protect occupant health, including:
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Building Design Considerations – Optimisation of building orientation, elevation, and façade design to reduce pollutant ingress and occupant exposure.
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Green Infrastructure – Specification of green walls, vegetative screening, and urban tree planting schemes to provide passive air quality improvement.
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Operational Strategies – Implementation of sustainable transport frameworks, emissions reduction programmes, and construction phase dust management protocols in accordance with best practice guidance.
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Detailed AQA - Detailed Dispersion Modelling (ADMS) including Met Data:
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Required for all major developments (>10 dwellings or >1,000sqm of new commercial floorspace) in the UK.
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All of the above of a Basic AQA scope.
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Transport Impact on Local Air Quality – dispersion modelling at how extra vehicle movements will affect the local air quality, carried out in line with the GLA policy networks (where applicable).
A Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) evaluates potential flood risks and works to minimise flood impact. You'll generally need one for:
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Any development located in Flood Zone 2 or 3, as defined by the Environment Agency flood map for planning.
You'll also need a FRA for sites in Flood Zone 1 if:
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Your site is 1 hectare or larger.
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It's within a Critical Drainage Area (CDA), no matter the size.
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You're developing a basement in streets known to be flood-prone, historic watercourse locations, or areas where there's a heightened risk of groundwater flooding.
SuDS Strategy
We provide SuDS Strategies to support planning applications, especially where policy calls for clear and deliverable surface water management solutions.
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Outline calculations of surface water runoff rates and attenuation volumes that align with site conditions and relevant policy targets (like 50% betterment).
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A site-specific look at sustainable drainage opportunities, with proposals shaped around your development layout and constraints.
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Detailed information on the proposed SuDS features, including:
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Where they'll go and how they'll be arranged
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Their attenuation capacity and how they'll perform
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Specification and structural considerations
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What's needed for construction and operation
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Access arrangements and an ongoing maintenance plan
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Preparation of preliminary drainage layout plans showing how SuDS will be integrated within the site strategy.
I was impressed by your report, it is of higher quality in comparison to reports we have received from other consultants on previous projects.
Suresh Patel - Archplan Designs
As a planning consultant, I quite often need to instruct companies to draft Flood Risk Assessments (FRA) for my client’s projects to support planning applications that I submit. On numerous projects, I have instructed Air & Flood Consultants to draft the FRAs. They have produced excellent documents in very good time and a good price for my clients. I would highly recommend them to others when in need for FRAs.
Fiona Jones - Chartered Town Planner
Team delivered exactly what we needed - a solid technical assessment that actually helped move our application forward. No unnecessary jargon, just professional work done properly.