1. Why Air Quality Matters (Evidence You Can’t Ignore)
Planning expectations have tightened again — and air quality is now a planning, legal, health, and programme-delay risk for nearly every development type.
Alkali Environmental Consultants provides UKAS & MCERTS-accredited air quality assessments, monitoring, and reporting — aligned to LAQM templates, England’s PM₂.₅ legal targets, and the latest IAQM methodologies — so your planning applications land first time.
Lives at stake every week
UK doctors estimate ~30,000 deaths per year linked to air pollution, costing tens of billions.
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) warns air pollution affects nearly every organ system.
([rcp.ac.uk][rcp])
No safe level narrative
WHO (2021) cut guideline levels to:
PM₂.₅ = 5 µg/m³ and NO₂ = 10 µg/m³ — reflecting harm even at low concentrations.
([World Health Organization][who])
Risk rises with small increases
COMEAP recommends 1.08 relative risk per +10 µg/m³ PM₂.₅ (~8% higher mortality risk), with no safe threshold.
([GOV.UK][comeap])
Dieselgate legacy
A 2025 analysis estimates 16,000 premature UK deaths and 30,000 childhood asthma cases from illegal diesel defeat-devices; 124,000 early deaths across the EU/UK.
([CRECA][creca])
Bottom line:
Air quality is now a board-level risk — health, legal exposure, reputation and project delay.
2. Compliance Updates You Can’t Ignore (2023–2025 → Still Fully Applicable 2026+)
England’s PM₂.₅ legal targets
Annual mean ≤10 µg/m³ by 2040 and 35% population-exposure reduction (vs 2018).
DEFRA has planning guidance for demonstrating alignment with these targets.
([Legislation.gov.uk][leg201] | [Legislation.gov.uk][leg202])
LAQM expectations shape planning reviews
Planning officers increasingly assess reports against LAQM templates, technical notes and national guidance.
Align your report format to reduce queries and re-submissions.
([Local Air Quality Management][laqm])
Construction dust — IAQM 2024 update
IAQM 2024 tightens risk screening and mitigation — raising expectations for CEMPs, monitoring, and auditable control measures.
([IAQM][iaqm2024])
Low-cost sensors — IAQM 2025 position
Clarifies limits of low-cost PM₁₀ sensors, especially for short-term dust spikes.
Specifies when reference-grade equipment is required.
([IAQM][iaqm2025])
Industry & CEMS — EA M20 refreshed
2025 update clarifies EN 14181 QA/QC (QAL1–3 + AST), certification ranges, and documentation required.
([GOV.UK][eaM20])
EU direction (contextual benchmark)
The revised Ambient Air Quality Directive sets 2030 limits:
- PM₂.₅ = 10 µg/m³
- NO₂ = 20 µg/m³
(Not UK law, but influential in best practice.)
([EU Directive][eu])
Latest national monitoring overview
DEFRA’s Air Pollution in the UK 2024 (published September 2025) summarises measured and modelled concentrations — useful for context and baselines.
([GOV.UK][airuk])
3. When You Need Air Quality Services (Planning, Construction & Operations)
Planning & design stages
- Screening assessments
- Full Air Quality Impact Assessments
- Early engagement avoids planning delays and re-submissions
(Align format to LAQM templates.)
([Local Air Quality Management][laqm])
Before construction
- Baseline monitoring
- IAQM-compliant dust risk assessments
- Control plans for CEMPs
([IAQM][iaqm2024])
During construction
Deploy monitoring where IAQM risk screening indicates medium/high risk, especially during:
- Demolition
- Earthworks
- Dry weather periods
- HGV-intensive phases
Follow IAQM 2024 + IAQM LCS 2025.
([IAQM][iaqm2025])
Industrial operations (permitting)
- Stack testing
- CEMS QA/QC under EA M20 and EN 14181
Many operators schedule spring/autumn QA to align with reporting cycles.
([GOV.UK][eaM20])
Post-completion
- Validation monitoring
- Evidence that planning-condition mitigation performs as intended
4. What Alkali Environmental Delivers
Air Quality Impact Assessments (AQIA)
For residential, commercial, industrial and mixed-use schemes.
Dispersion Modelling (ADMS)
Robust baseline and operational assessments.
Construction Dust Assessments (IAQM 2024)
- Fully auditable
- Mitigation plans
- Reference-grade monitoring where required
([IAQM][iaqm2024])
Industrial & Waste Permitting Support
- Stack emissions testing coordination
- CEMS QA/QC under EA M20 / EN 14181
([GOV.UK][eaM20])
Mitigation Strategies
Mapped to:
- Local policy
- National PM₂.₅ targets
- LAQM screening thresholds
5. Compliance-Safe Accreditation Statement
Alkali Environmental Consultants is a UKAS & MCERTS-accredited laboratory (No. 24303).
Monitoring and reporting are conducted to MCERTS performance standards by qualified consultants and MCERTS-certified personnel, ensuring full traceability and compliance with Environment Agency requirements.
6. Who We Help & Where We Work
We support:
- Developers
- Architects
- Planners
- Local Authorities
- Industrial operators
- Energy & infrastructure projects
Across:
London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Newcastle, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast — and every major UK city.
7. About Alkali Environmental Consultants
Alkali Environmental Consultants is a UK leader in air emissions and environmental compliance.
We specialise in air quality, stack emissions monitoring, permitting and environmental risk management.
Our team includes:
- Former Environment Agency officers
- Nuclear environmental engineers
- Senior air-quality specialists
- MCERTS personnel
We combine technical accuracy with regulatory insight — helping clients stay compliant, avoid delays, and secure approvals confidently.
8. FAQ
When should I book an air quality assessment?
At RIBA Stage 2–3, or as early as possible.
Reports aligned to LAQM expectations face fewer planning queries.
([Local Air Quality Management][laqm])
Do I need dust monitoring on site?
Where IAQM 2024 risk screening indicates medium/high risk — yes.
Choose methods consistent with IAQM’s 2025 LCS position.
([IAQM][iaqm2025])
What’s the legal context right now?
- England’s PM₂.₅ targets apply nationally
- EA M20 governs CEMS QA/QC
- EU 2030 limits provide context for best practice
([Legislation.gov.uk][leg201] | [GOV.UK][eaM20])
Sources Behind the Updates
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/96/made?view=plain
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/96/pdfs/uksiem_20230096_en.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/air-quality-statistics/concentrations-of-particulate-matter-pm10-and-pm25
https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/pm25targets/planning
https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/pm25targets/targets-development
https://laqm.defra.gov.uk/
https://laqm.defra.gov.uk/guidance/
https://laqm.defra.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/LAQM-TG22-May-25-v2.1.pdf
https://laqm.defra.gov.uk/air-quality/guidance/development-control/
https://iaqm.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Construction-Dust-Guidance-Jan-2024.pdf
https://iaqm.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IAQM-PS-Construction-Monitoring-FINAL-2025.pdf
https://iaqm.co.uk/guidance/
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/m20-quality-assurance-of-continuous-emission-monitoring-systems
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/m20-quality-assurance-of-continuous-emission-monitoring-systems/monitoring-stack-emissions-quality-assurance-of-continuous-monitoring
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6696890ca3c2a28abb50d080/MCERTS_manual_stack_emission_monitoring_performance_standard_for_organisations_LIT_5901.pdf
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/2881/oj/eng
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/air-pollution-in-the-uk-2024/air-pollution-in-the-uk-2024-compliance-assessment-summary
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/345334/9789240034433-eng.pdf
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1061492/COMEAP_Statement_on_PM2.5_mortality_quantification.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-health-england-publishes-air-pollution-evidence-review
https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/advice-and-guidance/2024/05/local-air-quality-management-policy-guidance-2/documents/local-air-quality-management-policy-guidance/local-air-quality-management-policy-guidance/govscot%3Adocument/local-air-quality-management-policy-guidance.pdf
https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/consultations/2024-12/local-air-quality-and-soundscapes-management-in-wales-policy-guidance.pdf
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asc/2024/2
