Category Archives: Environmental Impact

Air Qaulity Assessment – New Kent Rd, London

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Air Quality Assessment – New Kent Rd, London

Southwest Environmental Limited have recently written an Air Quality Assessment for a site on New Kent Rd, London (SE1), the Air Quality Assessment report is for a small scale project. We prepare Air Quality Assessment Reports for any scale of project.

In this case the proposed project was at low risk of creating impacts as it was a single residential dwelling, the main focus of the report was assessment of risk from nearby sources such as New Kent Road.

NOX and Fine Particulate Levels fall off dramatically with distance, proving there is no canyoning effect. But in this case the streets lined with terraced houses do creating a canyoning effect which may prevent the dispersion of air borne pollutants.

This affect is hard to estimate, but we have used a review of nearby reports to make an estimate of air quality at the receptor (house) location and believe this will satisfy planning officials, with burdening the developer with disproportionate costs associated with bespoke modelling.

Image Courtesy of Luton Anderson 

Water Quality Impact Assessment – Kent

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Water Quality Impact Assessment – Kent

Southwest Environmental Limited wear commissioned by a client from the Midlands, to undertake a Water Quality Impact Assessment in Kent. The assessment was for a proposed activity in a water body, where the water quality of said water body was very important to various stakeholders.

Luckily there was pre-existing monitoring data available from a pre-existing site which was utilised to form a baseline study.

The main risk from the activity was judged to be biological contamination of the water body. However, all the potentially impacted stakeholders would like not be affected owing to treatment of the water prior to use that would eliminate the biological contamination.

E Coli – A common Marker for Coliforms

The Water Quality Impact Assessment also identified that the baseline levels of pathogens within the water body as existing were relatively high, this was likely to introduction for farm land and water fowl. As the levels of these pathogens in baseline sample data fluctuated according to rainfall, which in the case of farm land / manure at least would indicate run-off as a source.

Lighting Assessment SSSI

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Lighting Assessment SSSI 

SWEL have undertaken a Lighting Assessment in Rickmansworth, the site is to be developed, and lighting impact were required to be assessed. A thorough baseline study was made with a quantitative assessment of spill.

A  twilight survey was made to identify nearby light pollution sources. 

Riveting – Existing light fittings were surveyed. 

The Lighting Assessment Report was published in good time and was well received by the local planning authority. 

Noise Impact Assessment – Grays

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Noise Impact Assessment – Grays

Acting upon instructions from client, Southwest Environmental have Produced a noise impact assessment according to British  Standards.
 

The noise assessment was carried out for a self storage warehouse project in the greys area the main impact considered within the report with traffic movements. Unlike typical warehousing we cannot expect large volumes of heavy goods vehicle traffic and research in noise levels were based around car movements rather than heavy goods vehicle movements another consideration was that of the 24 hour access required for self storage warehouses SWEL used data from various self storage associations to build a profile or anticipated vehicle movements the site is within an industrial area that there are residential units quite close to the eastern boundary of the site.

It was found that noise levels were as acceptable when assessed in line with the relevant British standards monastery was carried out over 24 hour period prior to the calculations being performed.

Noise Impact Assessment London

Odour Management Plan – Sussex

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Odour Management Plan – Sussex

Southwest Environmental Limited have recently prepared an Odour Management Plan for a Nail Bar in Crawley, Sussex. The salon type establishment was sited within a busy shopping precinct. Our client had been requested by his local council to provide an odour management plan.

We were asked to prepare this document on a 3 working day turn around which we were just about able to do. We referenced industry codes of practices and focussed on the main causes of odour such as vapours and dust.

The odour management plan is a working document, and we aim to write such a report as simply as possible, with useful forms and survey checklists included for easy reference.

Odour Management Sussex

Odour Impact Assessment for Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Plant – Devon

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Odour Impact Assessment for Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Plant

Acting on instruction from a client based in the greater London area, SWEL are to prepare an Odour Impact Assessment for a Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Plant in Devon.

The Anaerobic Digestion Plant  is to use agricultural feed stock in to produce gas, and ultimalty genrate electrcial energy vis the use of gas engines to feed in to the grid.

As solar and wind capacity increases  and base load capacity decreases, the UK must fill the gap. Anaerobic Digestion Plants offer the possibility of storing gas produced, and generating power when it is needed.

Odour Modelling

The odur impact assessment was conducted using odor concentrations derived from secondary sources, in the most part peer review scientific papers. These values were then used in a model to derive am odour concentration at near by receptors.

The model used was aeromod, which is the preferred modelling system used in the UK and USA. In fact the model was produced in the USA, by their equivalent of the Environment Agency the EPA.

The model works, by caluclating dispersion, and also “averaging” out plume concentrations based on wind directions. There are various parameters that can be changed, in cluding atmopshric stibility etc.

Owing to the comparatively low odor emissions from the proposed agricultural feed stock the odour impacts are very low.

SWEL can conduct Odour Impact Assessments on a quick turnaround and also offer odour modelling services, to air quality professionals.

Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment – Rickmansworth

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Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment – Rickmansworth

It is fairly standard for LVIAs to be requested when large structures are built in a rural setting, but not so in suburban areas. SWEL were interested to see why a LVIA had been requested for a project within the M25 and sited within a developed area.

The residential project was unusual in its scale and design, however the building’s novel form, and inclusion of features such as roof top gardens will make an attractive replacement in contrast to the existing industrial buildings.

Many Sensitive Visual Receptors in the Area

Sympathetically Designed

SWELspent 12 hours walking and cycling though the surrounding landscape to establish points of visibility, whether these were from foot paths, roads of one of the 2 no. SSSI sites in the surrounding area.

There are a great number of hedge rows in the area which contribute visual screening and these will be included in the ZTVs.

A ZTV (Zone of Theoretical Visibility) using computer modelling to deduce where the project will be visible from. Typically these a “bare earth” ZTVs which ignore vegetation and built screening. A ZTV which includes vegetated and built screening is far more time consuming to produce which is why they are often omitted from LVIAs, but a vital part of any LVIA.

Wooded Areas reduce Visibility Impacts

Visual and Landscape Environmental Impact Assessment

Traffic Impact Assessment – Essex

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Traffic Impact Assessment – Grays, Essex

A waste recycling firm are applying for planning permission for a change of use. The change of use triggers the requrement for a traffic impact assessment.

First off the baseline conditions must be considered which involves a through traffic count on the surrounding road network.

Traffic Impact – Lots of Data

This data is then used to calculate likely percentage increases from the development.

The Traffic Impact assessment includes commentary on the modal split of traffic in the area and the trip generation associated with the proposed development.

Traffic Impact Assessment – Most counts are now automated.

When considering the different modes of transport it is important to consider that  a small number of HGVs are likely to represent a higher percentage increase, as opposed to a small number of cars the affect of which is diluted within the often high numbers of trips that are generated by cars on most roads on a day to day basis.

Traffic Impact Assessment

Odour Impact Assessment & Odour Management Plan – Tiverton

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Odour Impact Assessment  & Odour Management Plan – Tiverton

SWEL were engaged to provide supporting planning documents for a broiler breeder chicken shed near Tiverton, Devon. An odour impact assessment uses an atmospheric model to gauge the diffusion of an odour plume, plotting modelled odour concentrations on a grid, this grid is then used to create contours.

An odour impact assessment was required to assess odour impacts from the proposed shed which was to house 36,000 chickens. This may seem a large number but by today’s standards this s a relatively small shed, sheds of 300,000 chickens are not uncommon.

Typically it is necessary to statistically manipulate results and give a US 95 or US 99 value for odour concentration derived balancing of model out puts and wind direction etc. but in this instance it was not necessary, worst case scenarios were modelled and found to be within accepted limits.

An odour management plan was also produced,  this is an operational document and is to be used by the site operator during the operational phase of the broiler breeder sheds. Odour control in large scale chicken sheds involves controlling  diet, watering and ventilation rates amongst other things.

Odour Impact Assessment

Odour Management Plan

Air Quality Assessment – Brent, London (NW6)

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Air Quality Assessment – Brent, London (NW6)

Acting on instructions from a client in Brent, London Southwest Environmental are to undertake a detailed indoor air quality assessment.

A resident approached Southwest Environmental Limited with concerns over the quality of air within their living space. It was thought that air quality might be lowered owing to the neighbouring property uses.

A passive monitoring scheme is being undertaken over a 30 days period so as to establish indoor air quality. A very wide spectrum of common air borne determinants are to be tested for including a range of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and nicotine.

Monitored levels will then be compared with known safe levels as published by the WHO, and HSE.

If you have any requirements for indoor air quality monitoring and subsequent interpretive anlaysis then pleas egt in touch we would be happy to discuss your needs.

Air Quality Consultants