Local Air Quality Management Tools

This web page provides information, links and tools designed to assist air quality officers when undertaking Review and Assessment reporting set out under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995.  In addition we have provided links to information and tools which are designed for the impact assessment of biomass boilers and infrastructure developments.  Note: some of the links on this page go to external website resources and Air Quality England is not responsible for their content. Useful links are provided below:

• Defra's LSO working instruction, setting out best practice
• Defra's list of LAQM tools (PDF)
• Defra's LAQM support page
• Defra's LAQM help desk
• Defra's Technical Guidance

LAQM Reporting to Defra

Local Authorities are required to upload all LAQM reports (Annual Status Reports (England), Updating and Screening assessments, Progress Reports and Detailed Assessments) via the Defra website at LAQM Report Submission Website (RSW), standard report templates are provided for all LAQM reporting levels, along with helpful prompts, useful tips and a checklists to ensure all required information is included for the appraisal process. The checklist is based on the current assessment criteria as set out within the Technical Guidance LAQM.(TG(16))

Action Planning

Defra's Local Air Quality Management Policy Guidance LAQM (PG16) (PDF) provides guidance on air quality action planning. The information provides guidance on strategies, planning and measures for managing local air quality impacts as well as examples of good practice. Further useful links can be found below:

• LAQM Action Planning web page
• LAQM Policy Guidance
• LAQM Practice Guidance
• Low Emissions Strategies Guidance
• Environmental Protection UK Guidance

Additional Review and Assessment Tools

• Local site operator videos
• Background pollution maps (on a 1km grid scale)
• National NO₂ diffusion tube bias correction (XLS) - Defra provide a nationwide database containing local bias adjustment factors
• Local diffusion tube bias adjustment spreadsheet (XLS) - If local authorities have their own co-location studies they may calculate their own bias adjustment factor. A spreadsheet has been designed to assist with this. This spreadsheet calculates the precision and accuracy (bias) of individual co-location studies and gives 95% confidence intervals in the bias adjustment calculations
• Defra's diffusion tube QA QC Framework (WASP - Workplace Analysis Scheme for Proficiency) - The laboratories that provide and analyse diffusion tubes also have the option to be included in an independent Workplace Analysis Scheme for Proficiency (WASP), operated by the Health and Safety Laboratory scheme
• Diffusion tube data entry tool - A web-based Data Entry System for collection of NO₂ diffusion tube data.
• Nitrogen Dioxide fall off with Distance Calculator (XLS) - This tool estimates the annual mean NO₂ concentration at a predefined distance from the roadside, real time and diffusion tube concentrations can be estimated.
  NO₂ fall off from road calculator instructions (PDF)
• TEOM VCM Correction - Conventional TEOM PM10 particulate data sets can be VCM corrected using the Volatile Correction Model. Conventional TEOM analysers (TEOM analysers without the FDMS upgrade) provide indicative measurements (data) which can be corrected to provide "gravimetric equivalent" data sets using the Volatile Correction model. The correction is based on measured made by FDMS analysers in other nearby locations.

Defra's Emissions Factor Toolkit

Defra's Emission Factor Toolkit provides a means to calculate pollutant emissions from road vehicles using predefined information such as local fleet and speed data. The findings can be used for emission reduction planning detailed dispersion modelling scenarios. Note the latest version of the toolkit should be used (there are bugs in version 601)

Highways Agency Design Manual for Roads and Bridges

The Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) Screening Model published by the Highways Agency can be used for Review and Assessment purposes when assessing emissions from road sources.

NOx to NO₂ and NO₂ to NOx Conversion Spreadsheet

This spreadsheet derives NO₂ from NOx when NOx concentrations have been modelled using road traffic emissions information. In addition the calculator will calculate the road component of NOx from roadside NO₂ diffusion tube data sets.
» Download NOx/NO₂ Conversion Spreadsheet
» NOx/NO₂ Conversion Spreadsheet Instructions (PDF)

Point source industrial emission screening tool

This spreadsheet has been developed to help screen industrial stack emissions outputs as set out in LAQM.TG(09) technical guidance.
» Download Industrial emissions screening spreadsheet (XLS)

Biomass combustion stack output calculator tool

This spreadsheet has been developed to help screen biomass combustion plant pollution outputs as set out in LAQM.TG(09) technical guidance.
» Download Biomass combustion stack output calculator (XLS)