Irwin Carr Consulting recently participated in the Routes to Clean Air 2026 conference in Birmingham, where Christy Carr joined a panel discussion exploring the emerging UK Air Pollution Assessment Service (UK APAS) and its application in practice.
Organised by the Institute of Air Quality Management (IAQM), Routes to Clean Air is an annual conference for air quality practitioners and associated professionals. This year’s programme placed a particular emphasis on air quality measurement, monitoring and modelling, bringing together representatives from government, consultancy, academia and other organisations working across the sector.
Christy participated in the conference’s APAS panel session, sharing Irwin Carr’s practical experience of using the emerging service. The published conference agenda placed the discussion within its Farming & Nature session and included representation from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), which leads the UK APAS project.
An important development for air quality assessment
UK APAS, known publicly through the Government’s “Get an air pollution assessment” service, is intended to support the assessment of air pollution effects on ecosystems and potentially assist decision-making for individual plans and projects, including planning and environmental permitting.
Northern Ireland is currently at the forefront of its implementation. The public beta is live and Northern Ireland applicants are presently able to use the service for planning and permitting submissions. The system is being evaluated before a decision is taken on wider UK rollout.
This makes practical experience of the system particularly relevant for consultants, developers and other professionals working in Northern Ireland.
Technology and professional judgement
For Irwin Carr, the development of UK APAS represents an important evolution in the way certain air pollution assessments may be undertaken.
The service brings screening and detailed modelling closer together. JNCC describes the intended output as performing the functions of both a screening model and detailed modelling, with the detailed output expected to be similar to that currently used to inform decisions on new emission sources.
However, standardisation of modelling does not remove the need for experienced professional interpretation.
Understanding appropriate inputs, considering the context of a development, interpreting model outputs, identifying potential constraints and mitigation, and presenting technically robust evidence within the planning or permitting process remain important aspects of effective air quality consultancy.
This is particularly relevant where assessments involve more complex projects or circumstances in which standardised assumptions require careful consideration. JNCC’s own testing programme has compared the implementation of ADMS within UK APAS against standalone ADMS and notes that identical results are not necessarily expected, as UK APAS incorporates default values that more bespoke modelling may not use.
Staying at the forefront of air quality assessment
Participation in the Routes to Clean Air panel gave Irwin Carr an opportunity not only to share our experience of using UK APAS, but also to engage directly in the wider professional discussion surrounding its development and practical application.
As the assessment landscape evolves, we believe early engagement with emerging tools, alongside established modelling techniques and experienced technical judgement, will be increasingly important.
Irwin Carr will continue to develop its capability in UK APAS alongside its wider air quality, odour and environmental assessment services, helping clients understand both the outputs from new assessment tools and what those results mean for their projects.
