Air Quality Assessment – West Town Road, Avonmouth

Redmore Environmental Ltd was commissioned by CNG Fuels to undertake an Air Quality Assessment in support of a planning application for a Bio-Compressed Natural Gas (Bio-CNG) refuelling station on land off West Town Road, Avonmouth. Bio-CNG is a sustainable and renewable gas that has been produced from waste feedstocks such as food waste and sewage sludge. The target market for the development is the Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) fleet, where an increasing number of operators are looking to replace diesel fuelled vehicles with Bio-CNG. This reduces carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by as much as 85%, oxides of nitrogen emissions by as much as 75%, and noise by approximately 50% when compared to a diesel vehicle.

Avonmouth Air Quality Assessment

The proposals have the potential to cause air quality impacts as a result of fugitive dust emissions during construction and road traffic exhaust emissions associated with vehicles travelling to and from the site during operation. As such, an Air Quality Assessment was undertaken in order to determine baseline conditions and assess potential effects as a result of the scheme.

During the construction of the new building there is the potential for any dust released from the various activities on site to increase local levels of particulate, as well as affect amenity due to deposition on cars, windows and other surfaces. These impacts were assessed using the Institute of Air Quality Management (IAQM) ‘Guidance on the Assessment of Dust from Demolition and Construction’. Based on the outcome of the risk assessment, site-specific dust control measures were provided to reduce dust emissions to an acceptable level during construction.

The proposed development would route Bio-CNG fuelled HGVs in the vicinity of sensitive receptors. Dispersion modelling using ADMS-Roads software was therefore undertaken to determine associated changes in pollution levels at local properties, inclusive of other committed developments. The results indicated that variation in nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10µm (PM₁₀) and PM_2.5 concentrations as a result of the proposed development were negligible at these locations.

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If you have a project that requires an Air Quality Assessment in support of planning then get in touch today to discuss how we can help you ensure permission is granted.