Air Quality

Welcome to Essentials of LAQM 1 - Introduction to LAQM - 7 April 2025 to 31 March 2026

This is a pre-recorded webinar.  Estimated time to view webinar is 5 hrs.  It is available from 7 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

Fee = £295.00 plus VAT or 3 credits

Trainer = Patrick Harland

The aim of this course is to put local air quality management (LAQM) activities into a scientific, technical and legal context. It explains where LAQM fits into the various schemes for environmental protection and, in particular how it interfaces with health, climate change, development control, and traffic management policy.

Air Quality

Welcome to Essentials of LAQM 2 - Monitoring and Compliance - 7 April 2025 to 31 March 2026

This is a pre-recorded webinar. Estimated time to view webinar is 5 hrs.   It is available from 20 January to 31 March 2025.

Fee = £295.00 plus VAT or 3 credits

Trainer = Patrick Harland

This course addresses fundamental issues associated with the practicalities of assessing air quality via measurement. The trainer will facilitate a sharing of knowledge and experience of using passive diffusion tubes to monitor concentrations of ambient nitrogen dioxide.

Air Quality

Welcome to Essentials of LAQM 3 - Review and Assessment - 7 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

This is a pre-recorded webinar.   Estimated time to view webinar is 3 hrs.    It is available from 7 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

Fee = £295.00 plus VAT or 3 credits

Trainer = Patrick Harland

The purpose of this course is to ensure that delegates have the knowledge to carry out a review and assessment of air quality at an appropriate level and to the timescales required.  It will introduce attendees to the information, tools, and practice needed.

Air Quality

Welcome to Essentials of LAQM 4 - Action Planning - 7 April 2025 to 31 March 2026

This is a pre-recorded webinar. Estimated time to view webinar is 5 hrs.   It is available from 7 April to 31 March 2026.

Fee = £295.00 plus VAT or 3 credits

Trainer = Patrick Harland

This course will examine, in detail, what LAs must do when an AQMA has been declared and improvement action is necessary; it re‑introduces the requirements to be met and the guidance to be followed. 

Air Quality

Welcome to Essentials of LAQM 5 - Management - 7 April 2025 to 31 March 2026

This is a pre-recorded webinar. Estimated time to view webinar is 5 hrs. It is available from 7 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

Fee = £295.00 plus VAT or 3 credits

Trainer = Patrick Harland

The purpose of this course is to point attendees to the knowledge required to manage the LAQM duties required of a local authority – consequently it will focus on the management rather than technical issues of fulfilling legal requirements, establishing the resource base to comply with those requirements, responsibly assessing the need for action, liaising with stakeholders, ensuring that any action taken is cost effective,  and that air quality information is communicated to Defra or the Devolved Administration, and the public in an appropriate manner.

Air Quality

IAQM Guidance Updates Relevant To Local Authorities

This is a pre-recorded AI presented webinar, approx. 20 minutes.

Fee = FREE to EMAQ+ Members

Please email the EMAQ+ Team at emaq@ricardo.com to make your booking.

Trainer = Oliver Marshall and Alex the AI presenter

This free AI webinar introduces the Institute of Air Quality Management (IAQM) which plays a crucial role in setting standards and supporting professionals in the air quality sector. Furthermore, recent updates to IAQM guidance updates are discussed that are relevant to Local Authorities. Guidance updates include:

– Integrating Action on Air Quality & Climate Change: A Guide for Local Authorities.
– Air Quality Neutral Guidance.

As well as briefly touching on upcoming updates:

– Odour Guidance Update.
– Minerals Planning Guidance Update.
– Land-Use Planning & Development Control

Air Quality

New LAQM Guidance: Determining the impact of air quality improvement measures - available from 17 March 2025

This is a pre-recorded AI presented webinar, approx. 20 minutes.  Available from 17 March 2025.

Fee = FREE to EMAQ+ Members

Please email the EMAQ+ Team at emaq@ricardo.com to make your booking.

Trainer = Oliver Marshall and Alex the AI presenter

This webinar will help Local Authority Officers digest the new LAQM.TG(22) Air Quality Action Plan Guidance. We will cover the main sections of the document, with each topic illustrated by several case studies to demonstrate practical applications:

– Categorising air quality measures into hard and soft measures.
– Different methods for assessing and quantifying AQAP measures.
– Conducting a cost-benefit analysis.

Air Quality

Essentials of LAQM Proficiency Test

Fee = £175.00 plus VAT or 3 credits

An EMAQ+ delegate who has attended all 5 EMAQ+ Essentials of LAQM modules and taken and successfully passed the associated Online Knowledge checks, gaining all 5 credits, is eligible to sit a final 'Proficiency Test'.  The test is designed to test their co-ordinated knowledge of all the aspects of LAQM covered by the whole programme.

You cannot self enrol yourself for this test.  You will be invited by the EMAQ+ Team to take this test when you are eligible.

Air Quality

Air Quality Strategies: What are they, who will need one and how do they differ from AQAPs? (Intermediate) - 17 January 2024 to 31 March 2026

This is a pre-recorded webinar.   Estimated time to view this webinar is 1 hr.  It is available from 17 January 2024 to 31 March 2026.

Fee = £85.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

Trainer = Ella Wingard and Charlotte Day

From 2023, local authorities without AQMAs (Air Quality Management Areas), including those in the process of revoking their AQMA(s), are required to produce a local Air Quality Strategy. The requirement relates to local authorities in England and was included in the recently updated local air quality management (LAQM) Policy (PG22) and Technical Guidance (TG22). It reads as follows: “Those authorities who have not had to designate AQMAs and produce AQAPs will from 2023 be required to draw up a local Air Quality Strategy. These strategies will not have a set format and authorities will be able to draw on content within their ASRs and local transport plans to produce them.” Where local authorities revoke AQMAs (and no longer have any in place), they will be required to produce an Air Quality Strategy “to ensure air quality remains a high-profile issue and to ensure it is able to respond quickly should there be any deterioration in condition”.

Air Quality

SPDs and Damage Costs Webinar - available until 31 March 2026

This is a pre-recorded webinar available until 31 March 2026.

Fee = £85.00 plus VAT or 2 credits

Trainer = Patrick Harland

The planning of a new development has a direct influence on local air quality and therefore the health of people and ecosystems. Air quality should therefore be a material consideration when planning new developments to ensure they are designed and constructed in ways to minimise emissions and reduce the exposure of people to air pollution.

Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) assist developers in determining when an air quality assessment is required for a new development and outline assessment procedures to complete in support of applications for new developments. SPDs typically set out an approach for the calculation of Damage Costs and the identification of suitable mitigation measures where required.

Damage Costs are a set of impact values, measured per tonne of emission of certain pollutants, which are used to estimate the societal costs associated with small changes in pollutant emissions. They are used to determine the scale of the required investment in air quality mitigation measures.

This webinar provides guidance on how to apply emissions and air quality assessment procedures in support of applications for proposed developments and identify suitable mitigation measures to be included at the planning stage. We will also demonstrate how Damage Costs should be applied to determine the scale of the required investment in air quality mitigation measures.

Air Quality

Scenario Modelling for Setting Targets and Developing Pathways to Achieve Them - from 24 July 2023 to 31 March 2026

This is a FREE pre-recorded webinar, available until 31 March 2026.   Estimated time to view webinar is 30 minutes.

This webinar will introduce Defra’s air quality emissions scenario modelling tool, which can be used to develop cost effective measures for reducing emissions of air quality pollutants and greenhouse gases in a range of sectors. The course will cover:

-  The scope of the model and underlying data
-  Creating individual measures and building scenarios
-  Data inputs
-  Interactive functionality, data visualisations and downloadable datasets
-  Statutory requirements for Local Authorities
-  Case studies

Air Quality

Air Quality Advanced 1 - Low Cost Sensor and Monitoring - available until 31 March 2026

This is a pre-recorded webinar.  Estimated time to view this webinar is 5 hrs. Avaialble until 31 March 2026. 

Fee = £295.00 plus VAT or 3 credits

Trainer = Stephen Stratton

The purpose of this webinar is to provide an understanding of the use of low cost air quality sensor systems. The webinar will look at the following:

–  What is a low(er) cost sensor?

–  Legislation / standardisation

–  Sensor deployment – how can they be used

–  Sensor characterisation/calibration

–  Data interpretation and processing

–  Example dataset with practical exercise

The webinar will enhance your understanding of:

–  The practical uses for low cost air quality sensor systems

–  The limitations of air quality sensor systems

–  Getting the best out of the data from air quality sensor systems

Air Quality

Recording of Defra's Updated Air Quality Strategy

Recording  of an interactive webinar delivered previously.

Fee = £85.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

Defra have now published their updated Air Quality Strategy which sets out a framework for local authority delivery. In this EMAQ session we will cover what this means for you and your local authority.  Defra have set out their priorities:

1.    Planning reforms helping to deliver on air quality.

2.    Building capacity in local councils through training, guidance and knowledge sharing.

3.    Reducing emissions from industrial sources through improved enforcement of environmental permits.

4.    Reducing pollution from domestic burning through smoke control areas and cleaner fuels.

5.    Raising awareness within local communities of air quality impacts and how to reduce them.

6.    Boosting active travel and public transport to improve air quality.

We will discuss actions being asked from local authorities to help deliver these priorities and provide examples of pragmatic action. We will focus on new requirements and where and how local authorities could address air quality differently.

Air Quality

Indoor Air Quality - available until 31 March 2026

This is a pre-recorded intermediate level webinar available until 31 March 2026.

Fee = £65.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

Trainers = Patrick Harland and Jakebs Jursins

This webinar will cover a range of areas relating to indoor air pollution - an area of increasing concern for human health. The webinar will initially focus on types of indoor air pollution, potential sources and the impact that indoor air pollution can have on human health. The differences between outdoor and indoor air pollution will also be discussed, identifying any differences in approach or impact that are vital for the handling of indoor air pollution. The legislation regarding the air quality standards and regulations of indoor air quality and the roles of various regulatory bodies and the application of the legislation will be covered, including the role of building regulations in the matter of indoor air quality. Finally, the webinar explores available latest guidance for the assessment and management of indoor air quality. On completion of the webinar we expect delegates will have a better understanding of the sources and impact of indoor air pollution and to understand the relevant legislation for monitoring, regulation and assessment.

Air Quality

Air Quality Modelling - available until 31 March 2026

This is recording of a webinar delivered by TEAMS in November 2022. Available until 31 March 2026

Fee = £295.00 plus VAT or 3 credits

This webinar will provide an introduction to the use of atmospheric dispersion models for air quality assessments. The webinar will explain different approaches to dispersion modelling, and cover how these tools are used to undertake assessments of air quality impacts in support of planning and permit applications, EIAs and the development of local policy. The webinar will talk through how to set up a roads-based assessment in one of the most commonly used models; ADMS. Attendees will gain a better understanding of why atmospheric dispersion models are needed, how they work and how they’re used for air quality assessments submitted to local authorities.

See Course Programme here.

Air Quality

Delivering a Successful Action Plan - available until 31 March 2026

This is a pre-recorded intermediate level webinar. Duration of this webinar is approx. 1 hr.  Available to 31 March 2026.

Fee = £85.00 plus VAT or 2 credits

Trainer = Jekabs Jursins

A successful action plan is not just a list of actions that will improve air quality, it needs to establish a framework of assessment, implementation and review for successful delivery.  This course will examine existing guidance and best-practice for what make an effective Air Quality Action Plan, including how these plans can compliment existing policy plans relating to climate/net zero policy. The webinar will set then out Ricardo’s framework for a successful action plan, examining how to approach understanding air quality problems and setting improvement targets; the development, refinement and assessment of measures for the action plan; and how to continuously monitor, evaluate and report the action plan once implemented. The webinar also considers the challenges and co-benefits of an ambitious action plan, looking at issues such as governance, funding and ownership for delivery.

Air Quality

Impact of Covid-19

This is a pre-recorded mini-webinar.  It is available from 3 May 2022 to 31 March 2025.

Fee = £65.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

Trainer = Charlotte Day

The purpose of this webinar is to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected air pollution levels during the first lockdown, and provide an understanding of how the reduction in air pollution may impact Local Air Quality Management going forward. The first part of the webinar will outline the health impacts of air quality and presents measured and modelled air quality data from 2020, showing changes in pollutant concentrations. We will then look at how these unexpected changes in air pollution are likely to impact Local Air Quality Management, including tools such as the DEFRA background concentration maps and the Emissions Factor Toolkit. We will consider other implications of the change in air quality, including for Air Quality Impact Assessments and planning applications. Finally, we will explore how Local Authorities can make the most of the reduction in air pollution caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, by using it to promote the benefits of clean air and low car usage.

Air Quality

Air Quality Mitigation

This is a pre-recorded webinar.  It is available from 3 May 2022 to 31 March 2025.

Fee = £99.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

Trainer = Tom Buckland

The webinar is for those LA air quality and planning professionals at operational level whose duties include planning and air quality management aspects.  Delegates will need a minimum knowledge of air quality management issues and an understanding of the planning application process. This training seminar will benefit those local authority officers who deal with planning applications with regard to air quality impact assessments, mitigation and conditions for development sites.

Air Quality

Review Air Quality Assessment with Case Studies

This is a pre-recorded webinar.  It is available from 3 May 2022 to 31 March 2025.

Fee = £99.00 plus VAT or 1 credit

Trainers = Tom Buckland and Tim Glews

The webinar will consider how atmospheric dispersion modelling outputs are presented in Air Quality Impacts Assessments, submitted in support of planning applications, and provide advice on how model results should be interpreted. The session will include a group exercise in which delegates will be asked to critically review an example air quality assessment. This will allow air quality professionals to better understand the modelling studies that are commonly submitted in support of planning applications, and be better prepared to review them.