A new digital tool designed to speed up planning decisions while protecting Northern Ireland’s most sensitive habitats has been launched as a UK-first pilot. The “Get an air pollution assessment” service, developed as the UK Air Pollution Assessment Service (UK APAS), allows developers and planners to model how much ammonia and nitrogen oxides a proposed project would release, where the pollution would travel, and how it might affect protected sites.
The service is free at the point of use for Northern Ireland applicants and went live on 12 May 2026. It is billed as a way to cut costs for applicants, reduce planning backlogs, and give regulators more consistent scientific evidence when deciding on developments such as large strategic road networks or agricultural livestock buildings.
How the service works
At present, air quality assessment systems across the UK are described as standalone, complex and inconsistent, with different modelling tools used and relevant information held by many different sources. The new service aims to bring screening and detailed air dispersion modelling into one place.
Users can find out how much ammonia or nitrogen oxides a development would emit, visualise how those pollutants disperse in the air, and see how they are deposited on protected sites. The tool also lets applicants test different mitigation measures at the design stage, such as changes to slurry spreading or building ventilation, to see how they would reduce emissions and impacts on nearby habitats.
According to DAERA, the main benefits are:
- a single, consistent approach to air quality assessments at reduced cost for applicants;
- more efficient, consistent and transparent decision-making for planners and permitters;
- a “design tool” that lets users make informed choices about sustainable development;
- quicker uptake of best-practice mitigation measures to reduce aerial emissions;
- better data to help develop emission reduction policies.
Applicants can access the service through the UK APAS page on DAERA’s website, which links to the GOV.UK service. A “Quick Run” option is available for scenario testing, while the formal “Calculation Jobs” option should be used for planning or permit applications.
Why Northern Ireland is the pilot region
Northern Ireland has been chosen as the first region because almost all of its designated nature sites have ambient ammonia concentrations and nitrogen deposition rates above the levels known to harm sensitive habitats. Agriculture is the dominant source of ammonia emissions, while traffic and industry are the main sources of nitrogen oxides.
The tool focuses on designated sites such as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs). It can also assess impacts on priority habitats outside the designated network, including Sites of Local Nature Conservation Importance, using assessment points.
The project has been led by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and jointly funded by DAERA through the Carrier Bag Levy, Defra and other UK environment agencies. It is based on a similar Dutch government model and is an output of the wider Integrating Tools for Air Pollution Assessment (ITAPA) project.
What DAERA and JNCC say
Announcing the launch on 17 June 2026, DAERA Minister Andrew Muir said the technology would help protect sensitive habitats. He said:
“Good air quality is vital for both our health and our environment hence the importance of finding and implementing new techniques or approaches to improve air quality. I’m grateful that Northern Ireland has been chosen as the first region to introduce the new Air Pollution Assessment Service.
“This digital tool will help us protect the natural environment, reduce planning delays, cut costs for planning applicants and their consultants, as well as provide a detailed analysis of the potential impact proposed developments would have on air quality.
“It will provide robust scientific evidence for NIEA and the planning authorities to assess when considering new planning applications such as large strategic road networks or agricultural livestock buildings. Applicants can also use the new system, which is free, as a design tool and to assess the benefits of any measures they are implementing to reduce emissions such as ammonia and nitrogen oxides.
“My desire is to bring about lasting improvements in the quality of the air we breathe and I believe this new tool has real potential to help us achieve that, so I would strongly encourage applicants and their consultants to use it and maximise the benefits it can offer to them and to our environment,” he added.
Steve Wilkinson, JNCC Director of Ecosystem Evidence & Advice, said the tool breaks new ground by combining emissions from multiple projects:
“For the first time, this tool can automatically bring together emission footprints from multiple projects that could act in-combination to adversely impact our environment. Whilst the initial focus of the project is on protected sites, there is potential to expand the tool to assess air quality impacts from plans and projects on human health. However, work still needs to be done by the technical experts on this aspect of the service.”
“With ambient ammonia concentrations and nitrogen deposition rates above the levels that cause harm to sensitive habitats at almost all NI’s designated sites, NI has been chosen as the first region to implement the system. We have consulted with key stakeholders, including the agricultural industry and planning consultants and authorities, on the development of the tool. NIEA has also been providing training seminars and has been encouraged with the positive feedback,” he added.
Pilot benefits and remaining gaps
The launch is a step towards streamlining a planning process that has been slow and contentious, particularly for farm developments near protected sites. However, the service is still a pilot. Only Northern Ireland applicants can currently use it for formal planning and permitting submissions, and the tool will be evaluated before any decision is made to roll it out across the rest of the UK.
There are also some notable gaps. While the tool models impacts on ecosystems, the human health assessment feature is not yet ready. That matters because air pollution is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular illness, and vulnerable groups such as children, older people and those with existing health conditions are disproportionately affected. The Air Pollution in Northern Ireland 2024 report, published in November 2025, underlines that poor air quality remains a significant public health and environmental challenge.
The tool is also only one part of a wider policy puzzle. DAERA’s long-awaited Ammonia Strategy and a revised Operational Protocol for assessing air pollution impacts on the natural environment are still being developed. The Office for Environmental Protection previously found that DAERA’s earlier Operational Protocol failed to comply with environmental law because its thresholds were not scientifically robust. The new digital tool should be seen alongside, not instead of, those broader reforms.
Separately, DAERA is running an open consultation on the Draft Air Quality (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026, which proposes tighter limits for particulate matter and closes on 31 August 2026.
Questions the pilot raises
- How will DAERA and NIEA measure whether the tool actually shortens planning delays and reduces costs for applicants?
- Will the service remain free at the point of use after the pilot, and who will fund its long-term maintenance and updates?
- When will the human health assessment feature be ready, and how will its accuracy be independently tested?
- How will the tool connect with the forthcoming Ammonia Strategy and revised Operational Protocol?
- What happens to planning or permit applications during the pilot if applicants choose not to use the new system?
Next steps for the pilot
The pilot will be closely watched by planners, farmers, environmental groups and other UK regions. Its success will depend on whether it genuinely speeds up decisions, whether its modelling is trusted by all sides, and whether it is kept up to date with the latest emissions and habitat data.
Readers who want to try the tool or learn more can visit the “Get An Air Pollution Assessment” page on DAERA’s website or the JNCC project page. Those with views on tighter air quality standards can respond to the Draft Air Quality (Amendment) Regulations consultation before 31 August 2026.