7. Development Management

Threshold, Assessment and Mitigation

7.1 The assessment of air quality for relevant planning applications should follow a three stage process;

1. Determining if the development proposal falls within one of the identified thresholds;
2. If it does, assessing and quantifying the impact on local air quality and finally
3. Determining if, applying mitigation measures, the proposal can be made acceptable

7.2 Pre-application discussions between developers and the local authority is encouraged to ensure an application is complete and meets the necessary requirements. Planning applications must contain sufficient detail to allow the impacts of development to be properly assessed.

7.3 Air quality is a material planning consideration. Consideration will be given to:

• the significance of the impact on (local) air quality;
• the current air quality in the area of the proposed development;
• the likely use of the development, (i.e. the length of time people are likely to be exposed at that location);

7.4 Most forms of development will have an impact on local air quality and therefore public health. To make development acceptable mitigation measures will need to be implemented by the applicant to reduce emissions to air. The mitigation measures implemented should be proportionate to the scale of the impact.

7.5 Impacts on air quality will be determined as 'significant' or 'not significant'.