Air Quality Assessments – Liverpool

Air Quality Assessments in Liverpool

Liverpool is undergoing major redevelopment across the city. From an air quality perspective, Liverpool City Council has declared a city-wide Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) due to high nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations. This means that careful consideration needs to be given to elevated pollutant levels to any future users of highly sensitive developments, such as residential dwellings, as well as impacts associated with road vehicle exhaust emissions during a developments operational phase.

We have provided Air Quality Assessments for developments throughout Liverpool and the Merseyside region. Below are a couple of examples of projects we’ve recently completed.

Paul Street, Liverpool

Paul Street is located to the north of Liverpool City Centre. The proposed development comprised the redevelopment of 4 Paul Street for residential use, including the construction of two six-storey blocks and 25 car parking spaces. The scheme was located within the Liverpool AQMA and had the potential to expose future residents to elevated pollutant levels due to the proximity of the A5038 and associated road vehicle emissions to the site. The scheme also had the potential to cause air quality impacts at sensitive locations as a result of fugitive dust emissions during construction and road transport emissions during operation.

The assessment included a desk-based screening appraisal of baseline conditions in the local area to determine the exposure of residents to poor air quality. This included review of significant pollutant sources, local monitoring results and background concentrations. The assessment concluded that pollutant concentrations are likely to be below the relevant air quality objectives across the site and was suitable for the proposed residential use.

The development may also increase pollutant concentrations as a result of road traffic travelling to and from the site. However, due to the low number of vehicle trips generated by the scheme, these impacts were not predicted to be significant.

A Construction Phase Assessment was undertaken in accordance with the Institute of Air Quality Management (IAQM) ‘Guidance on the assessment of dust from demolition and construction’. This identified site-specific mitigation to be implemented into a Construction Environmental Management Plan to reduce impacts to an acceptable level.

Waterloo Road, Liverpool

Waterloo Road is located near Liverpool Waterfront. The proposed development comprised construction of a 27-storey building to provide commercial space at ground floor and 245 residential units from first floor level. To help minimise air quality impacts, the scheme included 280 secure bicycle spaces and limited car parking provision. The site is also located close to public transport connections, meaning that future site users would be encouraged to utilise sustainable modes of travel.

Following correspondence with Liverpool City Council, consideration was given to the ‘Tall Buildings Supplementary Planning Document‘ adopted in 2023. This ensures that proposals comprising tall structures do not worsen air quality by creating a street canyon, which can reduce the dispersion of pollutants. The results of this assessment indicated that predicted pollutant levels were below the relevant air quality objectives at the building facades, indicating the structure would not significantly affect air quality.

The assessment also included consideration of operational phase road vehicle exhaust emissions and fugitive dust emissions during the construction phase, similarly to the Paul Street project summarised above.

The conclusion of the assessment was that air quality factors were not considered a constraint to planning consent for the development.

How Can We Help?

If you are concerned about air quality issues associated with your development, or have a requirement for an Air Quality Assessment in Liverpool or elsewhere in the country, do not hesitate to get in touch today to see how we can help.