Odour Assessment in Durham
IAQM odour assessments, EMAQ+ kitchen extract surveys, dispersion modelling and Odour Management Plans for planning applications, complaints and permits in Durham. Chartered Environmentalist covering County Durham.
Odour assessment for planning, complaints and permits in Durham
Activities that can generate odour in Durham include commercial kitchens and takeaways, food and drink manufacturing, wastewater treatment, waste transfer and composting sites, anaerobic digestion and agriculture. Where any of these sit close to residential property, schools, hospitals or other sensitive receptors, the local planning authority will normally require a formal odour assessment to support a planning application or to discharge a pre-commencement condition.
The standard methodology is the IAQM Guidance on the Assessment of Odour for Planning. For commercial kitchens, restaurants, takeaways and hotels the EMAQ+ methodology applies. Where the source merits a quantitative approach we run full ADMS or AERMOD dispersion modelling with site-specific meteorology, particularly for wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion, composting and rendering plants.
Air Dust Odour is run by Malcolm Pounder CEnv MIAQM, a Chartered Environmentalist and Full Member of the Institute of Air Quality Management. We work with Durham County Council and surrounding councils across County Durham, delivering reports that satisfy planning officers and EH teams first time.
Our Odour Assessment Services in Durham
Every assessment is written to the IAQM framework (or EMAQ+ for kitchens) and signed off by a Chartered Environmentalist.
IAQM Qualitative Odour Assessment
Full IAQM-framework odour assessment for planning applications in Durham. FIDOR source characterisation, magnitude-of-impact assessment against sensitive receptors, the level of mitigation required and clear conclusions on significance. Suitable for the majority of planning condition discharges.
Semi-Quantitative Sniff-Test Assessment
On-site sniff-test surveys for existing operations in Durham with complaints or for new source characterisation where measured intensity data is needed. Walking-route assessment with FIDOR scoring at each station.
Dispersion-Modelled Odour Assessment
Full quantitative odour dispersion modelling for sites in Durham using ADMS or AERMOD with site-specific meteorology. Required for larger sources, sites in proximity to sensitive receptors, or where the IAQM framework demands a quantitative approach.
EMAQ+ Kitchen Extract Assessment
EMAQ+ methodology for restaurants, takeaways, hotels and commercial kitchens in Durham. Risk-banded assessment of cooking type, flue location and sensitive-receptor proximity, stating the level of odour control the EMAQ+ method requires, for your extract specialist to design and install.
Complaint Investigation & Source Tracing
Where the local environmental health team has received complaints or served an abatement notice, we investigate, characterise the source, document compliance with the existing odour management plan and set out the level of mitigation required.
Odour Management Plan (OMP)
Site-specific Odour Management Plans for food, wastewater, AD, composting and waste-transfer operators in Durham. Tailored to the site's odour sources and the local sensitive-receptor context.
Durham & Surrounding Areas
We cover Durham and the wider County Durham, with no per-mile travel surcharges.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I need an odour assessment in Durham?
An odour assessment is normally required for any planning application in Durham involving an activity with the potential to generate odour, including commercial kitchens and restaurants, food production, breweries and distilleries, wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion, composting, waste transfer, agricultural facilities and certain chemical processes. Durham County Council typically requires the assessment to follow the IAQM Guidance on the Assessment of Odour for Planning, with a written report submitted with the application or as a discharge of a pre-commencement condition.
What methodology do you use for odour assessments in Durham?
We apply the IAQM framework throughout: a documented source characterisation (FIDOR: Frequency, Intensity, Duration, Offensiveness and Receptor), an effects assessment against sensitive receptors, and where the source merits it a detailed dispersion modelling assessment using ADMS or AERMOD with site-specific meteorology. For commercial kitchens and restaurants we follow the EMAQ+ methodology. Reports are written to the standard Durham County Council expects and signed off by a Chartered Environmentalist.
What odour sources are typical in Durham?
Typical odour sources include commercial kitchens and takeaways, food and drink manufacturing, wastewater treatment, waste transfer and composting sites, anaerobic digestion and agriculture. The IAQM framework treats different sources as having different intrinsic offensiveness scores: for example, wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion and rendering are scored as more offensive than bakery or brewery odours, which affects the magnitude of impact and the proximity at which a receptor is considered significantly exposed.
Who are the sensitive receptors for odour in Durham?
Sensitive receptors for odour assessment in Durham include residential property, schools, hospitals, care homes, hotels and outdoor amenity space such as parks, gardens and beer gardens. The IAQM framework recognises three sensitivity bands (High / Medium / Low) which affect the magnitude-of-impact assessment alongside the source character.
How much does an odour assessment cost in Durham?
A typical qualitative IAQM odour assessment for a planning application in Durham (single source, residential receptor proximity) starts from around £1,500 to £2,500 plus VAT. A semi-quantitative sniff-test FIDOR assessment for an existing operation with complaints typically runs £2,500 to £4,500. A full quantitative dispersion-modelled assessment (ADMS / AERMOD with site-specific met) is typically £4,500 to £7,500. Kitchen extract EMAQ+ assessments are from around £800. See our odour services page for more.