Emissions Mitigation Strategy

Land West of Storrington Road, Thakeham

An Air Quality Assessment was undertaken for a proposed residential-led development in Thakeham, West Sussex which included an emissions cost calculation as required by the Sussex Air Quality Partnership (SAQP) ‘Air Quality and Emissions Mitigation Guidance for Sussex’ (2021). This calculation utilises the development trip rate, average speed and average car journey length to obtain total annual emissions of NOx and PM2.5 for the first 5 years of a development’s operation. These values are multiplied by the relevant ‘Damage Costs’ published by Defra, to calculate the total cost to local air quality over a five-year period.

Consequently, the Local Authority requested an Emissions Mitigation Plan (EMP) inclusive of costed mitigation measures equal to the total ‘Damage Cost’. The EMP was produced with reference to the recommended measures within the SAQP guidance, and liaison with the wider project team including Transport Consultants and Landscape Architects to identify appropriate air quality-beneficial aspects of the development.

The EMP demonstrated that the ‘Damage Cost’ would be more than covered by the total amount to be spent on mitigation measures and that the client was therefore not required to make any offsetting payment.