Sweco is a trusted air quality consultancy & engineering partner to national and local authorities, regulated industries, developers and critical infrastructure programmes – across the UK, Ireland, and internationally.
We provide expert air quality consultancy to support due diligence, land use planning, environmental permitting, legal compliance and performance-based certification. We can provide end-to-end air quality solutions for your project, addressing risks and opportunities in both outdoor and indoor environments.
Our team combines deep technical expertise with practical policy insight to help clients navigate complex regulatory landscapes and make informed, evidence-based decisions. With specialists in environmental modelling, public health and sustainable design – working alongside Sweco’s wider carbon, buildings, transportation and biodiversity teams – we embed air quality into broader planning and design strategies, elevating it beyond a standalone concern.
Whether the goal is protecting public health, enhancing biodiversity, enabling Net Zero pathways, ensuring data centre resilience or supporting urban regeneration, our approach is always technically robust, policy-aligned, and outcome-driven.
Screening & Scoping Studies – Identify air quality risks early in project design and set out an appropriate assessment approach.
Baseline Air Quality Reviews – Establish existing conditions local to the subject site and sensitivity of land uses.
Air Quality Assessments (AQAs) – Ranging from simple to detailed assessments of impacts from likely emissions relating to construction and operation of proposed development.
Site Suitability – Establish if the subject site is suitable for the proposed land uses based on current and future (predicted) air quality, within context of local and national planning policy.
Emissions Inventory Development & Source Apportionment – Quantify and streamline air pollutant & greenhouse gas emissions sources and inform interventions relating to site-level to urban scale environments.
Permitting Support (EA, SEPA, NIEA) – Navigate environmental permitting pathways to achieve permit goals using best available techniques.
Habitats Regulations Assessment – Support ecology/biodiversity goals and contribute to Regulation 19 and HRA evaluations for emerging Local Plans and nationally significant projects.
Monitoring (Continuous & Passive) – Measure key pollutants like PM10 / PM2.5, NO₂ and VOCs – tailored solutions dependent on project objectives.
Dust Management & Monitoring Plans – Assess and control emissions from construction; inclusive of bespoke construction dust monitoring plans.
Indoor Air Quality Plans (IAQPs) & Monitoring – Ensure safe, compliant indoor environments in line with BREEAM / LEED / WELL standards.
Air Quality Neutral / Positive Assessments – Demonstrate alignment with regional policy goals.
EIA & ES Chapter Authoring – Provide clear and robust inputs for Environmental Statements.
Regulatory Reporting (DEFRA, Reg. 61) – Support with high-quality, compliant submissions in line with environmental permit requirements.
Due Diligence & Feasibility Reviews – Appraise emissions risks for investment and infrastructure.
Advanced Modelling & Analysis
Dispersion Modelling – Predict pollutant impacts from road, line, area, and point sources of emissions using regulatory approved software packages like ADMS & ADMS-Roads, AERMOD and CALPUFF. Including a focus on assessing:
Real-world impacts from vehicle emissions on local and regional road networks
Clean Air Zone (CAZ) / Low Emission Zone (LEZ) / Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) interventions; ranging from local to city-scale measures
Non-road transport mode emissions including construction, agriculture, port/marine vessel emissions
Industrial installation emissions including stack height sensitivity analysis
Odour impacts for regulated sites e.g. wastewater treatment, waste management
Air Quality Action Plans (AQAPs) – Develop and implement improvement strategies.
Masterplanning & Clean Air Strategies – Implement air quality positive measures in visionary frameworks.
Training & Capacity Building
Schools & Community Education – Inspire the next generation to protect clean air.
Bespoke Training – Customised air quality workshops for your specific requirements.
Site & Developer Training – Equip teams to comply with construction dust management and monitoring; comply with development planning conditions.
Air Quality & Net Zero: Integrated Emissions Inventory Solutions
The Green Transition isn’t just about reaching Net Zero – it’s about transforming how we plan, move, power and live. Clean air is a critical foundation of that transformation.
At Sweco, we integrate air quality science into the broader Green Transition agenda to unlock low-carbon, nature-positive and people-first development.
Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is only part of the picture. Many GHG-emitting activities – like transport, energy generation, industrial processes and construction – also release harmful air pollutants such as NOₓ, PM, SO₂, CO, VOCs and ammonia. These pollutants directly affect public health and ecosystems, often long before the climate effects of carbon are felt.
At Sweco, we help organisations develop integrated emissions inventories that cover both GHGs and regulated air pollutants. By aligning these datasets, our clients can:
Streamline reporting across Net Zero, air quality, and ESG frameworks
Target shared emission sources with unified mitigation strategies
Deliver co-benefits for health, compliance, and climate outcomes
Build more compelling business cases for clean technologies and low-carbon investment
We’ve supported inventory development across diverse sectors – from digital infrastructure and energy to transport and agriculture. Whether you’re preparing for the Net Zero transition, air quality permitting or performance certification, our experts can help you build a holistic emissions baseline and turn it into action.
At Sweco, we embed air quality into the heart of urban design and spatial planning to help create attractive, inclusive and healthy places. We work alongside architects, masterplanners, transport planners and local authorities to deliver air quality strategies that go beyond compliance – helping to build places that are not only healthy and liveable, but vibrant and desirable. Whether you’re regenerating a town centre, designing a mixed-use development or shaping a new urban district, cleaner air supports:
Healthier Communities
Reducing exposure to pollutants improves respiratory, and cardiovascular and mental health, enhancing wellbeing across age groups.
Active Travel & Greener Mobility
Cleaner air encourages walking and cycling, supporting modal shift and lowering carbon emissions.
Public Realm & User Experience
Lower pollution levels improve comfort, aesthetics, and usability of outdoor spaces, boosting dwell time and community cohesion.
Climate-Resilient Design
Integrated air quality strategies – like green infrastructure and low-emission, sustainable transport corridors – deliver climate co-benefits.
Development Value & Social Licensing
Projects that demonstrate air quality leadership are better positioned for public support, investor confidence and long-term success.
Together with our clients and the collective knowledge of our engineers, consultants and other specialists, we co-create solutions to address urbanisation, capture the power of digitalisation, and make our societies more sustainable. With international multi-disciplinary teams, we can call on the right insight and technical capability at the right time from across Buildings, Infrastructure, Advisory & Planning and Compliance.
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