Planning and Air Quality -The Role of Guidance Roger Barrowcliffe

Content Why planning matters for air quality A history of EPUK and IAQM involvement in guidance Why guidance benefits all parties Principles underlying the current guidance How to use (and how not to use) the guidance Clear Air Thinking

The Influence of Land Use on Emissions Air quality in towns and cities is dominated by transport emissions. It follows that the way we use road transport determines air quality. In turn, transport trips and distance travelled are influenced by the need to travel; land use dictates this. Conclusion: where we choose to site shops, schools, places of work and leisure will influence road transport emissions. Clear Air Thinking

Some DfT Transport Statistics Clear Air Thinking

History of EPUK/IAQM guidance 2004 – NSCA publishes development control guidance 2006 – second version of guidance (as EPUK) 2010 – update published (with IAQM input) 2013 – 23 May, initial workshop held 2013 –2014 - working group activity Dec 2014 – 16 Feb 2015, draft for consultation May 2015 – initial publication January 2017 – revised version Clear Air Thinking

What else is there? National planning guidance – see DCLG view at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/air-quality--3 Highways England Interim Advice Notes Low Emission Partnership – see http://www.lowemissionstrategies.org/les_planning_guidance.html Clear Air Thinking

The Role of Guidance The absence of guidance helps no-one. All parties need a common and agreed set of ‘rules’: Developers need to understand how best to design schemes; Local authorities and other planning authorities require a basis for reaching decisions; and Assessors have to know how to describe impacts and reach a conclusion on the significance of effect. Clear Air Thinking

For All Forms of Development Clear Air Thinking

Our Objectives To encourage better development with regard to air quality To send a signal to other ‘players’ that policies and plans should more explicitly account for air quality To devise an assessment methodology that works for all parties To be the preferred and recognised guidance for practitioners Clear Air Thinking

Document structure Context Chapters 1-4 Better by Design? Chapter 5 Screen for assessment Chapter 6 If no requirement, then write a short note explaining grounds Undertake assessment Chapter 6 Is overall impact a significant effect? Chapter 7 Is mitigation required? Chapter 8 Write report

Impact Descriptors - 2010 Clear Air Thinking

Impact Descriptors - 2015 Clear Air Thinking

Expressed in terms of NO2 Clear Air Thinking

How to use these descriptors Do: Pay attention to the accompanying notes Consider the inherent uncertainty in the numbers Calculate for individual receptors Don’t: Apply false precision to the numbers Confuse severity with significance Clear Air Thinking

A thorny issue – cumulative development Two possibilities for describing the impact: Future Baseline Concentration at Receptor Incremental Change at Receptor Without any specific contribution from other new development New scheme + cumulative contribution of other new development With the contribution from other new developments New scheme in isolation   Clear Air Thinking

Example – development sites in Cheshire Clear Air Thinking

Example – Traffic flows from one site in Cheshire Clear Air Thinking

Significance A key stage of the assessment, following an assessment of the impact severity. Describing the impact is tightly defined by the method; but Concluding on the overall significance on the effect is a professional judgement on the part of the assessor. Judgement takes into account several factors, including: The future baseline air quality, the number of people exposed and the inherent uncertainties. Clear Air Thinking

Concluding thoughts The EPUK/IAQM guidance is the result of more than a decade of its development and use; It is also the product of a working group representing all points of view; The review workshop held last summer suggests that its content is working well for most participants. Clear Air Thinking