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Air Quality Assessments for planning.

Site-specific air quality assessments for UK planning applications — construction dust risk, operational screening and the mitigation plan councils expect, built on official Defra data and the IAQM/EPUK guidance.

5.0 Google rated Every UK local authority No advance payment
Illustrative air quality assessment: cutaway house showing indoor pollutants, ventilation and traffic emissions
EPUK/IAQM AlignedLive Defra & DfT datasets
NO2 · PM2.5 · Dust
Submission-ready PDF
NO₂ · PM
Pollutants Assessed
NO₂, PM2.5, PM10 and NOx
v2.2
IAQM Dust Guidance
January 2024 edition
TG(22)
Defra LAQM
Technical guidance followed
UK-wide
Full Coverage
Every local authority

What an air quality assessment shows

Background pollutant concentrations, exposure of new residents, construction dust risk and the mitigation that satisfies planning officers.

Illustrative air quality assessment: cutaway house showing indoor pollutants, ventilation and traffic emissions
Illustrative visualisation — every report is prepared from your site’s actual details.
EPUK/IAQM & LAQM

The air quality rules your application is judged against.

Air quality in planning runs on the EPUK/IAQM land-use planning guidance, Defra’s local air quality management regime and — in London — the London Plan’s air quality policies.

When an AQA is required

Screening follows recognised criteria — an assessment is commonly required where:

  • The site is in or next to an AQMA — air quality is a material consideration
  • New residents are introduced near busy roads — exposure must be assessed even outside AQMAs
  • The scheme changes traffic materially — trips, parking or HGV movements against EPUK/IAQM criteria
  • Demolition or earthworks occur near homes — construction dust assessment to IAQM guidance

What your AQA must demonstrate

A screening and assessment built on official data:

  • Live official datasets — Defra background maps, AQMA boundaries, monitoring data and DfT traffic counts
  • Pollutant assessment — NO₂, PM2.5, PM10 and NOx against the objectives
  • Dust risk assessment — to IAQM guidance v2.2 (January 2024) where triggered
  • Mitigation measures — proportionate, condition-ready recommendations
  • Submission-ready PDF — with a unique document reference
What you get

A submission-ready air quality assessment.

Prepared for your exact site to the current standards, with everything your case officer looks for.

  • AQMA & Defra background concentration screening (NO₂, PM10, PM2.5)
  • IAQM construction dust risk assessment (2024 guidance)
  • EPUK/IAQM operational screening and impact descriptors
  • Mitigation schedule and recommended planning conditions
  • London Plan air quality neutral coverage where relevant
  • Submission-ready A3 PDF report with a unique document reference
Illustrative air quality assessment: cutaway house showing indoor pollutants, ventilation with heat recovery and traffic emissions
Written to the standards your local planning authority expects
Defra LAQM.TG(22) IAQM dust guidance (2024) EPUK/IAQM planning criteria NPPF & PPG London Plan SI 1
How it works

From drawings to submission.

1

Send us your drawings

Email your existing and proposed drawings and site address to info@clockfortress.com.

2

Get a fixed quote

We come back within 24 hours with a fixed price and a delivery date. There's no advance payment.

3

We prepare your report

Built from official Defra data and written to the current IAQM/EPUK standards — typically 3–5 working days.

4

Submit with confidence

Receive a planning-ready PDF, backed by our amend-or-refund guarantee if the authority rejects it.

Standards

Built on the guidance councils check for.

Every air quality assessment follows the recognised national methodologies.

EPUK/IAQM Planning for Air Quality IAQM Dust Guidance v2.2 (2024) Defra LAQM.TG(22) NPPF & PPG Air Quality London Plan Policy SI 1 Defra UK-AIR datasets
FAQ

Air quality assessments — explained.

Quick answers to the questions applicants ask us most.

Ask anything
Do I need an air quality assessment?
Most commonly: sites in or beside an AQMA, new homes near busy roads, schemes that change traffic materially, and demolition near existing homes. Our free AQMA checker on the tools page tells you the AQMA position instantly.
Which pollutants are assessed?
Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), plus NOx — the pollutants UK planning objectives target, using Defra background concentrations for your exact location.
When is a dust assessment needed?
Where demolition, earthworks or construction could affect nearby receptors — assessed to the IAQM construction dust guidance (v2.2, January 2024).
What about London’s air quality neutral policy?
London Plan Policy SI 1 applies additional tests to larger London schemes; the assessment addresses the policy context your borough will check.
Which areas do you cover?
Every UK local authority — the datasets behind the assessment are national.
Google Reviews

Rated 5.0 by our clients.

5.0★★★★★Based on 500+ Google reviews across our services
DF
Douglas Fraser
a month ago
★★★★★
Our site fell inside an AQMA and we needed an air quality assessment quickly. Clear, thorough, and the officer accepted the methodology without question.
RM
Raj Malhotra
3 weeks ago
★★★★★
The council asked for a construction dust assessment on our development. Fortress delivered it with the mitigation plan included and the condition was discharged first time.
KS
Katie Simmonds
2 months ago
★★★★★
As a planning consultant I use them across air quality, flood risk and daylight. The reports read like the big-name consultancies' work at a fraction of the fee.
GW
Grace Whitmore
3 months ago
★★★★★
New homes near a busy road — the exposure assessment and mitigation satisfied the case officer and we got permission. Excellent value.
Get Started

Get your air quality assessment quoted.

Email your existing and proposed drawings and we'll send a fixed quote and timeframe — usually within 24 hours. No advance payment.

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