News
Free Webinar: Habitats Regulations Assessment of air quality impacts
16/04/2019
Ricardo is hosting a complimentary webinar on Habitats Regulations Assessment of air quality impacts on Tuesday 14 May - 1.00-2.00pm
Local development plans and other strategies require a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) to be undertaken to identify any likely significant effects and, if necessary, mitigate adverse effects on European designated (Natura 2000) sites.
Recent legal judgments have changed and clarified the way we account for air quality impacts through the HRA process. At the same time, new techniques are emerging which enable planners and developers to be much more robust in dealing with air pollution impact pathways in HRAs. Organisations that fail to keep abreast of such changes face the risk of significant challenge to their plans.
This webinar is essential for local authorities involved in preparing development plans as well as developers putting forward schemes for planning permission – to understand how these legal and methodological changes may impact your work, and what actions you can take to remain compliant.
This webinar will draw on Ricardo's experience of carrying out HRAs for strategic plans and our leading-edge expertise for air quality assessments.
Our experts routinely collaborate with strategic planners and Natural England personnel to agree and deliver best approach assessments, in addition to resolving specific issues through targeted surveys and analysis. Webinar presenters will draw on real-life examples of HRA studies carried out by Ricardo, which are described by our clients as "high quality and extremely thorough" and "presented in a way which is clear and easy to follow."
The webinar will help planning authorities and developers to understand:
- The implications of recent legal judgments on the HRA regulatory landscape
- The various elements needed to deliver a robust and compliant HRA
- Emerging solutions and techniques for assessing air quality impacts on designated sites
Speakers
Dr Mark Broomfield, Associate Director, Ricardo Energy & Environment – Mark is an air quality, odour and health risk specialist consultant, with over 25 years experience working on strategic and site-specific air quality assessments.
Dr Jessica Virdo, Senior Consultant, Ricardo Energy & Environment – Jess is an air quality specialist with expertise in designing and carrying out HRA studies for local and regional development plans, and liaising with Natural England and other stakeholders.
Richard Andrews CEnv MCIEEM, Ricardo Associate and Director of Andrews Wildlife Consultants – Richard has over 25 years professional experience in ecology, biodiversity and environmental management in both the public and private sector and is a leading HRA practitioner.
As with all our webinars there will be a designated Q&A session, providing the opportunity to ask our experts the questions that are important to you. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, we would encourage you to register anyway to receive a link to the recording, so you can watch it back at your own convenience.
This webinar is the first in a two-part series. The second webinar will focus on HRA for development projects which will be useful for:
- Planning case officers
- Residential, industrial and commercial property developers and their consultants
If you, or a colleague are interested in viewing this webinar, you can register at: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6810672288505321229
£3 million boost for innovative local air quality improvements
02/04/2019
Local authorities across England will receive funding from Defra’s Air Quality Grant awards.
The funding supports schemes which help councils develop and implement measures to benefit local communities. Details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/3-million-boost-for-innovative-local-air-quality-improvements--4. Ricardo is working at the forefront of innovative sensor measurements. We are helping many local authorities design and implement sensor networks, and with their data processing and QA/QC to meet LAQM requirements. Please get in touch to find out more.
