Delivering compliant assessments and site investigations, so you can get your site approved and built
98% Approval Success
Multi-Discipline Saving
Technically Robust Added time delay and disruption
Unforeseen environmental problems and constraints
Unviable development proposals
Added cost, time and frustration to you and your design team
Your specialist Environmental Consultant is part of a dedicated team of Chartered professionals who have been successfully gaining regulatory approval for clients all over the UK, ensuring that their sites are safe and compliant places to live and work.
Our Assessments and Site Investigations are expertly prepared by experienced consultants who are committed to providing you with a technically robust report that is tailored to meet your needs and gain planning approval.
98% sign off success rate, very satisfied regulators
Time and Cost saving when instructed on multiple assessments
Technically robust reports written to British Standards 
Our Contaminated Land Assessments will help you clarify your site’s prospects, so you know the risk and can make even better decisions. Reducing the Risk, will Reduce the Stress
Our Flood Risk Assessment will help you clarify your site’s prospects, so you understand the risk and can make even better decisions.
Our comprehensive Air Quality Assessment is a small price to pay compared to the risk of not identifying the impact of air quality. The sooner you get absolute clarity on the impact of air quality and available mitigation measures, the sooner you can focus on the design. Reducing the risk, will reduce the stress.
Our comprehensive Acoustic Assessment is a small price to pay compared to the risk of not identifying noise or vibration sources. The sooner you get absolute clarity on the impact of any sources and mitigation measures, the sooner you can focus on the design. Reducing the risk, will reduce the stress.
Answer a few questions, so together we can come up with a plan that fits around your planning application.
We work through the complex process of assessing and investigating the site to ensure we are providing the necessary reports to support your application.
Written with a regulator in mind, so your reports can be approved, and you can focus on gaining a successful planning notice.
Environmental Assessments are often required by the Local Planning Authority (LPA) to support a planning application.
As well as national planning guidance such as the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), all local planning authorities have local planning policy guidance which sets out how applicants should engage with their local planning authority and what environmental information may be required to accompany the application to reduce the likelihood of delays at point of validation.
The approach should be tailored to the nature of the proposed development and the issues that need to be addressed.
The information that may need to accompany the application may relate to contaminated land, flood risk, air quality or noise and vibration.
It is recommended that pre-application advice is sort from the local planning authority with an experienced planning professional.
More information on what to do before submitting a planning application can be found at on a specific guidance page at GOV.UK.
The UK government also provides detailed guidance on when an Environmental Impact Assessment is required to support a major application and Environmental Statements to accompany the Environmental Impact Assessment.
Contaminated Land and Your Application
In our experience, if your site is a brownfield site or could be a potential a source of land contamination, then at the very least a Phase 1 Desk Study should accompany the application. Usually, this is enough to validate a planning application. If the site is located close to a sensitive aquifer (i.e. Source Protection Zone 1) and is highly likely to be a source of land contamination (i.e. landfill or gas works), then the Environmental Health Office and Environment Agency may also expect a full Phase 2 Site Investigation is undertaken to accompany the application.
Flood Risk and Your Application
If your site is within a Flood Zone 2 (medium) or 3 (high probably of flooding), >1 ha in size and historically susceptible to flooding (in Flood Zone 1) or a major planning application (10 dwellings or more) then a Flood Risk Assessment will need to accompany the application, which could include a drainage strategy and SuDS assessment to determine how the application proposals will drain. If the site is susceptible to flooding, then mitigation measures would be recommended to best protect lives and property.
Noise and Vibration and Your Application
If your site is located near potential noise sources, i.e., railway lines, airports, schools, commercial activities, busy roads etc. then you may need to undertake a noise survey to check the impact of noise from those sources to the new receptor at your site, such as a new housing development and what mitigation measures may need to be considered. It could be that your site and proposed use may be the cause of a potential future noise nuisance issue, so you may need to measure the impact to determine what mitigation measures need to be employed.
Air Quality and Your Application
If your site is located in or nearby an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), or a potential source of poor air quality or could potentially contribute to poor air quality by increasing traffic levels on the local road network, especially if it is considered a major development (>100 trips) your site may require an Air Quality Assessment, or at the very least an Air Quality Mitigation Statement (shortened version) to either qualitatively or quantitively measure the impacts. If it is found that there is a potential for poor air quality to impact on people living or working on the new application site, then mitigation measures may be recommended to improve air quality (i.e. mechanical ventilation, MVHR systems). If there is an impact from increased traffic movements from the site, then mitigation measures may include methods to reduce car usage, public transport incentives, etc.
To meet your needs and ensure compliance with the various environmental planning requirements our reports are in keeping with the requirements of local planning procedures, best practice, technical and planning guidance such as that set out in National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
Lustre Consulting has gained extensive experience supporting planning applications on a variety of sites ranging from small developments, through to large scale strategic housing developments, commercial and industrial developments.
Our environmental multi-disciplinary team, provides added value to our clients. The Lustre Consulting team includes specialists in:
This allows us to provide the very best advice and design to meet your environmental planning requirements.
Some frequently asked questions about environmental planning are listed below:
How can I know what reports I need?
If you are unsure what environmental reports are required, please give us a call to discuss your requirements. Alternatively, please send an email to info@lustreconsulting.com and provide us with the planning decision notice reference, site location and description of the proposed development.
What Environmental Support services do you offer?
Our environmental team includes specialists in:
Can you prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)?
We regularly work on assessments to support an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Our reports usually form an Environmental Statement within a larger EIA document prepared by a specialist planning consultant who we closely collaborate with on an application.
How long will it take to prepare a Contaminated Land Assessment?
A Phase 1 Desk Study will normally take up to 2 weeks to complete subject to gaining access to conduct a site walkover and Phase 2 Site Investigation 6 to 8 weeks subject to the post-environmental monitoring programme and regulatory requirements.
How long will it take to prepare a Flood Risk Assessment?
A Flood Risk Assessment will normally take between 2 and 6 weeks to complete depending on whether we are dependant on needing information from the Environment Agency to finalise the assessment. The Environment Agency have a statutory 21 day (not guaranteed) response time for information and data requests.
How long will it take to prepare a Noise and Vibration Assessment?
A Noise & Vibration Assessment to support an application will normally take up to 4 weeks to complete. The timescales are usually dependant on our ability to get onto site and undertake the monitoring noise survey, which is both weather and access dependant, and whether we need to undertake a manned or automated survey.
How long will it take to prepare an Air Quality Assessment?
An Air Quality Assessment will normally take up to 3 weeks to complete once we are in receipt of all finalised layout plans and traffic information (or transport assessment), if required.
How long will it take Lustre Consulting to prepare all the reports needed to support my application?
In most cases, we usually require at least 4 weeks to undertake all our assessments if we were instructed as a multi-service package on all four main environmental assessments to support an application. This is based on having all the information we needed to complete the assessments and uninterrupted access to site to conduct surveys.
A former large scale fuel storage and distribution depot is in the process of being redeveloped into a commercial development. The depot, located within a chalk quarry, was decommissioned around 15 years ago with all associated infrastructure removed. Prior to Lustre Consulting’s involvement several investigations, dating back over a decade, had been conducted. The investigations […]
A former large scale fuel storage and distribution depot is in...
This site was granted planning permission by the Secretary of State for the development of 350 100% affordable low rise houses and apartments. The site comprises approximately 24ha of open space, bisected by a former sand pit and pond. Site investigations undertaken since the 1990s found the pond (1ha in area and up to 4m […]
This site was granted planning permission by the Secretary of...
A former timber yard located off North Street, Barking received planning permission for redevelopment into residential use including houses with private gardens, apartment blocks and communal amenity space (including a children’s playground). Lustre Consulting was appointed to undertake a Phase 2 Site Investigation to work towards discharging a planning condition. The investigation comprised window sample […]
A former timber yard located off North Street, Barking received...
The Regent Parade site in Birmingham is in the process of being redeveloped from a light industrial use into a mixed residential and commercial use including retail space, town houses and apartments. Lustre Consulting was appointed by One Property Group to carry out a phased contaminated land assessment including a Phase 1 Desk Study and […]
The Regent Parade site in Birmingham is in the process of being...
