Expert air quality, dust and odour assessments across Worthing and West Sussex. Our chartered professionals support planning applications along the A27 south coast corridor and at the sensitive South Downs fringe.
Worthing is one of the South East's fastest growing towns, with significant residential development pressure driven by its coastal location, rail connectivity to London and the spillover of demand from Brighton and Hove. Worthing Borough Council's Air Quality Management Areas cover the A24, the A27 and the town centre, reflecting the dominant influence of traffic on local air quality. The A27 south coast trunk road runs directly through central Worthing rather than bypassing it, placing persistent nitrogen dioxide exceedances in close proximity to residential properties, schools and health facilities and making air quality assessment a routine planning requirement for a wide range of development types.
Worthing's northward development pressure brings the urban edge into increasing proximity with the South Downs National Park, which lies immediately to the north. Strategic housing allocations at Findon, Durrington and the northern fringes of the borough must demonstrate that development-generated traffic will not add unacceptable nitrogen deposition to the National Park's internationally designated chalk grassland and woodland habitats. This requires careful analysis using APIS critical load data and atmospheric dispersion modelling to quantify the incremental contribution from new development against already elevated background concentrations in this sensitive area.
At Air Dust Odour, our Chartered Environmentalists are experienced in navigating the combined air quality requirements of Worthing Borough Council, West Sussex County Council, the South Downs National Park Authority and the neighbouring authorities of Adur, Arun and Horsham. We prepare air quality assessments, construction dust risk assessments, Construction Environmental Management Plans and odour assessments for developers, architects and planning consultants working across the West Sussex coastal strip. Our reports are written to satisfy planning officers first time and provide the technical rigour needed to support major strategic applications through examination.
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Request a QuoteWe provide specialist air quality, dust and odour assessment services for planning applications across Worthing and the wider West Sussex coast.
Screening and detailed air quality assessments for residential, commercial and mixed-use developments across Worthing. Our assessments address the specific AQMA designations on the A27 and A24 and evaluate human health impacts in line with IAQM and EPUK guidance. Where required, we also carry out nitrogen deposition assessments for developments near the South Downs National Park boundary.
Dust risk assessments and Construction Environmental Management Plans for demolition and construction projects across Worthing and the West Sussex coast. Worthing's compact urban form means that residential properties and schools are frequently in close proximity to construction activity, making a well-designed dust management strategy essential to maintaining good community relations and satisfying planning conditions.
Kitchen odour assessments following the EMAQ+ methodology for restaurants, takeaways, cafes and commercial kitchens across Worthing. As a growing town with an increasingly diverse food and drink offer, odour assessments are routinely required for new commercial kitchen operations, particularly where extraction systems discharge at low level or in close proximity to residential windows and amenity areas.
Specialist nitrogen deposition and air quality impact assessment for developments near the South Downs National Park boundary. We use APIS critical load data and atmospheric dispersion modelling to quantify incremental contributions from new development and provide the evidence needed to satisfy the South Downs National Park Authority and Natural England as statutory consultees.
We provide air quality, dust and odour assessment services across Worthing and the surrounding West Sussex coastal area.
If your development falls within or adjacent to Worthing Borough Council's Air Quality Management Areas, which cover the A24, A27 and town centre, an air quality assessment is very likely to be required. The A27 south coast trunk road passes through the centre of Worthing and is the primary source of traffic-related nitrogen dioxide exceedances in the borough. Worthing Borough Council routinely requests air quality assessments for residential, commercial and mixed-use developments that introduce sensitive receptors near these corridors or that generate significant additional traffic.
The A27 is the primary east-west trunk road along the West Sussex coast and carries very high volumes of both local and long-distance traffic through Worthing, generating persistent nitrogen dioxide exceedances that have led to AQMA designation. Unlike many towns where the trunk road bypasses the urban area, the A27 runs directly through central Worthing, placing it in close proximity to residential properties, schools and other sensitive receptors. Any residential development proposed adjacent to or near the A27 will need a detailed air quality assessment to demonstrate that future residents will be adequately protected.
Yes. The South Downs National Park lies immediately to the north of Worthing, meaning that development at the northern edge of the town must address potential air quality and dust impacts on the Park's sensitive chalk grassland and woodland habitats. The South Downs National Park Authority is a statutory consultee and will require applicants to demonstrate that nitrogen deposition from development-generated traffic will not adversely affect designated habitats within the Park, which is a particular consideration for strategic housing allocations at Findon and Durrington.
Most medium and large construction projects in Worthing will need a dust risk assessment following IAQM guidance, and larger schemes will require a full Construction Environmental Management Plan with dust management as a key chapter. Worthing's dense coastal townscape means that residential properties, schools and healthcare facilities are often in close proximity to development sites, making robust dust controls essential. Where sites are close to the South Downs National Park boundary, additional consideration of dust impacts on designated habitats may be required.
Screening assessments and desk-based reports can typically be delivered within 5 to 10 working days. Detailed assessments involving dispersion modelling generally take 2 to 4 weeks, subject to project complexity and traffic data availability from West Sussex Highways. If baseline monitoring is required, this extends the programme by 3 to 6 months, so we recommend early engagement to align the assessment programme with your planning application timetable.
