We supported our client through an outline planning application to redevelop this 32-hectare former sand quarry in Kent.

The site is to be developed as a later living scheme which will provide up to 250 age-restricted dwellings, 191 extra care houses and apartments and an 80-bed care home. The scheme will also deliver community facilities, allotments and biodiversity enhancements.

Due to the scale of the proposals and the proximity of a nearby Air Quality Management Area, the air quality implications of the development required detailed consideration.

The site is also located 500 m from a large Wastewater Treatment Works and we therefore prepared an odour impact assessment to support the application. As part of the assessment, we undertook a programme of odour surveys, a qualitative risk assessment based on the source-pathway-receptor principle and a review of complaints history. This multi-tool approach minimised the limitations associated with individual assessment techniques and increased confidence in the overall conclusions. We recommended a mitigation strategy which was accepted by the Local Planning Authority and outline planning consent was granted in 2023.