Air Quality Assessments in Newcastle

Development in Newcastle

Newcastle, the renowned business and social hub of the northeast, is undergoing large-scale redevelopment of its vibrant centre. The city has a rich history of regeneration, from its illustrious role during the Industrial Revolution to the thriving, vibrant city enjoyed today by students, professionals, and locals alike. Designated as one of the six Science Cities in the UK, Newcastle places science, technology, and innovation at the forefront of its economic growth. There has been large-scale development in university infrastructure, including the £350 million regeneration project known as Newcastle Helix.

Newcastle City Council has made clear its commitment to transforming the inner city into a greener and cleaner place. Plans are being advanced to redevelop the 17-hectare East Pilgrim Street area. Impactful interventions on Northumberland, Pilgrim, and Grey Streets aim to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists and support local businesses. In the wider city, major regeneration projects include the redevelopment of the Stephenson Quarter and Forth Yards.

Given that poor air quality is now the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK, it is essential that the effects of such soaring growth are managed effectively. Air Quality Assessments in Newcastle are a crucial part of the development process to enable a sustainable and clean air future for local residents.

Air Quality in Newcastle

Newcastle, like many urban areas, faces challenges with air quality, primarily due to traffic emissions and industrial activities. Although long-term trends in air quality in Newcastle-upon-Tyne indicate improvement, there are still exceedences of the UK Air Quality Objectives across the city.

The city has implemented measures to address this, including the introduction of a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) to reduce vehicle pollution. Introduced in January 2023, the CAZ covers the city centre and surrounding areas. The CAZ targets high-polluting vehicles, including older taxis, buses, and heavy goods vehicles, requiring them to meet stringent emission standards or face daily charges.

There are also initiatives to expand green spaces and enhance urban greenery, further contributing to improved air quality. These efforts aim to create a healthier environment for all residents and visitors. It is crucial that developments continue to support an improvement in air quality. This should be managed through sound determination and effective mitigation of air quality impacts associated with proposals. This is why Air Quality Assessments in Newcastle-upon-Tyne are needed.

Air Quality Assessments for Planning

Air Quality Assessments in Newcastle are now required in support of nearly all planning applications for new developments. Typically, these comprise assessment of three main elements. These are:

• Potential exposure of future occupiers to harmful pollution levels.
• The impact of emissions from vehicles travelling to and from the scheme.
• The impact of dust emissions generated during construction.

Addressing these as part of your application could be the deciding factor for its success or refusal.

Air Quality Assessments in Newcastle

The success of your planning application in Newcastle could benefit from Redmore Environmental’s two decades of expertise in Air Quality Assessments. We offer comprehensive support on planning applications, condition discharges, and handling consultation responses and public feedback. Our experience includes producing Air Quality Assessments for various types of projects in Newcastle, from residential and educational to industrial and commercial developments. In the past year alone, we have completed over 500 assessments for projects similar to yours.

Across Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, we have been delighted to be involved in a number of exciting projects in recent years. These have included:

• Newcastle Great Park, Newcastle upon Tyne – Development of a Morrison food store and associated facilities.
• Pottery Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne – Demolition of the existing buildings and erection of 514 residential units alongside office and gym land use, as well as associated infrastructure.
• Manorview House, Newcastle upon Tyne – Demolition of the existing buildings and construction of a student accommodation development to provide approximately 293 units and associated infrastructure.
• Gosforth Park Way, Gosforth – construction of a padel centre to provide 11 courts alongside associated car parking and infrastructure.

Air Quality Assessment Services

Our air quality experts specialise in all aspects of air quality consultancy. Those relating to planning include:

• Air Quality Assessments in support of planning applications.
• Air Quality Assessments in support of Environmental Permit applications.
• Environmental Impact Assessments.
• Dispersion Modelling Assessments.
• Odour Assessments.
• Construction Dust Risk Assessments and Management Plans.
• Low Emissions Strategies.

Additional Services

We also have expertise in the following areas:

• Bioaerosol Risk Assessments.
• Ambient Air Quality Monitoring.
• BREEAM Indoor Air Quality Assessments.
• Indoor air quality testing.
• Kitchen Odour Assessments.
• Ecological and Ammonia Assessments.
• Local Air Quality Management reports.
• Air Quality Constraints and Screening Opinions.
• Dust and Odour Management Plans.
• Expert Witness.

Get in Touch

If you are concerned about air quality or require an Air Quality Assessment in Birmingham undertaking to support a planning application for your development, then please get in touch today to discuss how we can help you ensure permission is granted.