Toolbox Talks

Toolbox Talk No. 21 - Noise Management Plan - Licensing/Permitting/Planning - from 22 March 2023

This is a pre-recorded mini-webinar. Duration of this webinar is approx 90 mins.  It is available from 22 March 2023 to 31 March 2024.

Fee = £65.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

Compliance with noise standards can be  achieved with physical intervention like enclosures or barriers, or fixed constraints on numbers or hours of operation or use, but where those options have been exhausted or do not achieve he the full standard, other controls on the management of the sources become necessary.  Typically called Noise Management Plans (or Noise and Vibration Management Plans) there are no fixed methods of how these should be constructed.  This tool box talk provides insight into what NMP’s are, what they should contain, and how they might be used.  

The session also reviews the helpful Environment Agency guidance that tries to frame the key requirements for such plans.

Toolbox Talks

Toolbox Talk No. 22 - Updates on Current Good Practice - from 22 May 2023

This is a pre-recorded mini-webinar. Duration of webinar 30 mins. It is available from 22 May 2023 to 31 March 2024

Fee = £65.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

This Toolbox Talk will explore what practice is "good" practice and why any claims of or requirements for "best" practice should be resisted.  Technical guidance, and especially the Land Contamination Risk Management guidance, is at the core of good practice.  New guidance from the BSI and others will be summarised. The process of establishing good practice, and how you can get involved in this process, will be described. It will summarise what good practice can be on PFAS from CIRIA, the Environment Agency, the UK Committee of Toxicity, NICOLE and beyond.

Toolbox Talks

Toolbox Talk No. 23 - MCERTS - from 12 June 2023

This is a pre-recorded mini-webinar.  It is available from 12 June 2023 to 31 March 2024.

Fee = £65.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

A webinar for officers involved in contractor auditing, continuous emission monitoring systems and reviewing monitoring reports.  MCERTS is the English Environment Agency’s Monitoring certificate scheme.  The objective of which is to improve the quality of all aspects of measurement relating to emissions to the environment  (air, land and water).  Consequently, standards and requirements for equipment,  personnel and companies involved in monitoring are set.  This webinar provides and explanation of  these requirements and when they are needed in relation to the activities that fall under the responsibility of Local authorities.

Toolbox Talks

Toolbox Talk No. 24 - Practical Experience with Planning Issues - from 25 September 2023

This is a pre-recorded mini-webinar.  It is available from 25 September 2023 to 31 March 2024

Fee = £65.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

Much work on contaminated land management takes place as a result of sites being redeveloped and thus in the context of the Planning regime. This webinar will talk about what helps sites affected by land contamination go through planning smoothly,  illustrated by experiences (good and less good) of a range of recent sites.  Land contamination is usually of only minor materiality in development planning but is a much more significant material  consideration in development control. The pros and cons of standard and bespoke planning conditions for both applicant  and regulator will be discussed.  The benefits to applicants and regulators of adhering to the Land Contamination Risk Management guidance on report contents will be discussed.

Toolbox Talks

Toolbox Talk No. 25 - Noise Models & Verifying - from 9 October 2023

This is a pre-recorded mini-webinar. It is available from 9 October 2022 to 31 March 2024.

Fee = £65.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

This toolbox talk will look at the construction of noise models, verification of the modelling outcomes, and provide a method to understand the degree of potential uncertainty inherent within modelling.  The talk will highlight the methods for determination of uncertainty specifically focussing on the Salford University methodology that is the normally accepted method for quantification of uncertainty.

The presentation will review a example model, and provide an confidence that the modelling uncertainty can be understood, and what they means in assessing the model output.

Toolbox Talks

Toolbox Talk No. 26 - Interpreting Results, EM reports, to include uncertainties - from 13 November 2023

This is a pre-recorded mini-webinar.  It is available from 13 November 2023 to 31 March 2024.

Fee = £65.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

A webinar for officers who receive and review contractor monitoring reports from process operators and monitoring contractors employed.  This  provides guidance on monitoring standards and the information that should be present in any report. An objective of this talk is  to provide the skills and knowledge to enable confidence in the material presented. Alternatively enable appropriate responses to be made when there are errors or questions present.  Common errors seen in reports will be illustrated by using examples and combined with a basic check list a structured approach to review reports will be developed.

Toolbox Talks

Toolbox Talk No. 27 - Tar & Bitumen part B activities - from 27 November 2023

This is a pre-recorded mini-webinar. Duration of webinar 30 mins. It is available from 27 November 2023 to 31 March 2024

Fee = £65.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

This TBT will consider the main activities carried out in the production of roadstone coating / asphalt, the potential for dust and odour that may harm local residents and, how these sites should be managed through the EPR permit.

The main points of the TBT will be:

·       Understanding how material is handled on site, the potential for dust and the steps that need to be taken to mitigate those emission.

·       Consider potential odour sources within the process and what can cause the odours to be exacerbated.

We will use a worked example to show the consequence of poor siting of a road stone coating plant

Toolbox Talks

ToolBox Talk No. 28 - ILM Guidance GN01 and Light Pollution - from 17 July 2023

This is a pre-recorded mini-webinar.  It is available from the 17 July 2023 until the 31 March 2024

Fee = £65.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

A must for anyone new to evaluating light pollution.

Toolbox Talks

Toolbox Talk No. 29 - Verification for planning do's and don'ts - from 22 January 2024

This is a pre-recorded mini-webinar.  It is available from 22 January 2024.

Fee = £65.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

The endpoint for a site affected by contamination is for all potential contaminant linkages relevant to the development to have been demonstrably broken.  One way this is achieved is via verification. Verification plans should be designed before the remediation starts and need to be properly executed and recorded.  Often lines of evidence will be used to demonstrate the land has been rendered safe and suitable for use.  The advantage of formulating and then implementing a verification plan tied into the site specific planning conditions and local development plan will be discussed. The conceptual site model is the simplest means of communicating how contaminant linkages have been broken. The (very limited) role of classical statistics will be explored. This webinar will talk about good practices for verification with examples from real sites.

Toolbox Talks

Toolbox Talk No. 30 - Noise & Tranquilty - from 12 February 2024

This is a pre-recorded mini-webinar. Duration of this webinar is 1 hr 15 mins. It is available from 12 February 2024.

Fee = £65.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

We have all used the phrases “Its quiet as the gave” or “You could hear a pin drop”, and both normally relate to areas of absolute quiet.  Quiet can be defined based on those descriptors.  Regrettably Planning policy doesn’t mention ‘quiet’ it mentioned “Tranquillity”.

This Toolbox Talk will look at the concept of tranquilities, it will review what guidance there is on the subject, and then provide some advice on what features a tranquil area should have, hopefully leading to a set of useful criteria to define tranquil areas and more importantly, demonstrate that areas are tranquil.

The session will also touch on the increasingly useful concept of soundscape.