LAQM – Air Quality Review and Assessment
Service Definition
The statutory responsibility for air quality in their area rests with Local Authorities and they are required to undertake regular monitoring and reviews to ensure standards comply with national objectives (NAQS).
Temple Environment has developed a range of Local Air Quality Management Services (LAQMS) designed specifically to support Local Authority personnel in performing these reviews and developing air quality strategies.
Temple Environment assists councils with the individual stages, or indeed, the whole air quality review process. Alternatively, where councils wish to undertake most of the work themselves, our air quality team can provide support and advice to in-house staff.
Service Requirements
Temple Environment can undertake the following functions to support Local Authorities in their statutory air quality monitoring and assessment responsibilities.
Updating and Screening Assessments (USA)
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Collation and analysis of traffic data
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Traffic predictions
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Collation and analysis of local AQ data
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AQ screening predictions
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Assessment against NAQOs
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Stakeholder consultation
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Draft and final reporting
Detailed Assessments (DA)
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Quality assured monitoring
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Precision modelling
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Air quality mapping against NAQS?
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Assessment of likely Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs)
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Stakeholder consultation
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Draft and final reporting
Progress Report Production and Support
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Assessment of subsequent data
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Impact Assessment of new development.
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Benchmarking progress towards NAQOs compliance
Deliverables
When Temple Environment undertake, or assist you in undertaking, your air quality reviews, we will, where required:
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Collate and analyse all air quality data required for USAs, DAs and PRs.
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Draft USAs, DAs and PRs on your behalf or support their production in-house.
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Undertake the required stakeholder consultation to finalise USAs and DAs.
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Draft final report air quality reports and plans following consultation.
Background Information
DEFRA is the statutory body that oversees the implementation of air quality standards across the UK.
Further information regarding responsibilities and timetables is available on their website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/index.htm.
We currently stand at the half way point of the first review cycle.
The initial stage, Updating and Screening Assessments, were undertaken in 2003. If breaches of NAQS have been found, the next stage, the Detailed Assessment (DA), should also have been completed by April 2004. If your authority has yet to complete their DAs, Temple Environment can respond immediately to requests for assistance.
For those Local Authorities that did not breach NAQS, the next stage is the production of a progress report by April 2005. This is to ensure that standards are maintained during the period until the next USA. If you need advice on the preparation or help with completion of your progress report, please contact us.
The next full cycle of review will commence with a USA to be completed by April 2006.
Who Can We Help?
Most Local Authorities will not have been required to complete DAs, but those in inner cities and industrial and manufacturing regions may have identified local areas of air quality that are not up to standard and therefore require further investigation and remedial action.
All authorities that have reached the required standards will be required to undertake progress reports by April 2005.
Charging Structure
A guide to typical costs is
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USA production |
£25-50k |
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DA production |
£3-10k |
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PR production |
£1-10k |
The Temple Environment air quality team consists of highly skilled and dedicated environmental professionals with extensive experience of air quality issues and their impact on local authorities.
Our company structure allows Temple Environment the flexibility to offer clients the level of support and service that they require, when they need it. We can take responsibility for all your statutory air quality monitoring and reporting responsibilities or we can provide support on a daily, weekly or monthly basis to your own team in the development of their plans and strategies.
Temple Environment is quality assured and accredited to ISO 9001 and 14001 standard.
Contacts
If you are based at a Local Authority and have any questions regarding your responsibilities with respect to air quality in your area or would like to talk further about the services that Temple Environment can offer, please contact us on 0207 394 3700.
Alternatively, if you have a general enquiry about legislation, service, local issues, etc, please contact us on enquiries@templegroup.co.uk
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