Air Quality SPD
(9)1 Purpose of the document
Warwick District Council has to weigh up economic, social and environmental factors when deciding to grant or refuse planning permission or decide if conditions are required to achieve sustainable development. Air quality is a material consideration that planners are required to take into account when making their plans and when taking planning decisions.
In view of the air quality issues identified within the District, and the withdrawal of general planning guidance on air quality as part of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), there is a need for local planning guidance on air quality. Warwick District Council has developed this guidance to assist developers. The guidance establishes the principle of Warwick District as an emission reduction area and requires developers to use reasonable endeavours to minimise emissions and, where necessary, offset the impact of development on the environment.
This guidance aims to simplify the consideration of air
quality impacts associated with development schemes and focus on
incorporation of mitigation at design stage, countering the
cumulative impacts of aggregated developments, providing clarity
to developers and defining of sustainability in air
quality terms.
The objectives of this SPD / Guidance are:
- Improve the consideration of air quality & health impacts in the planning process, in line with national / local policy and practice
- to help ensure consistency in the approach to dealing with air quality and planning in the district;
- to highlight the existing policy framework in the district, and emphasise the importance of air quality as a material planning consideration;
- to identify the circumstances where detailed assessments and/or low emission strategies will be required as part of planning applications;
- to provide guidance on measures that can be implemented to mitigate the potentially harmful impacts of new developments on air quality in the district;
- to provide guidance on the use of planning conditions and Section 106 obligations to improve air quality; and
- to encourage co-benefits of reducing Carbon and noise emissions