Air Quality Consultants

What Air Quality Consultants does

Air Quality Consultants Ltd is a UK-headquartered (Bristol) specialist environmental consultancy founded in 1993, providing air quality, odour, dust, climate change, and environmental permitting services to public and private sector clients across the UK and internationally. It is part of Logika Group, which also includes Noise Consultants Ltd and Logika Consultants Ltd, and is managed by a single leadership team of over 100 environmental experts. The company's core services span air quality assessment, climate change and carbon accounting, odour and dust assessment, ecosystems and human health impact assessment, BREEAM sustainability assessment, and environmental permitting under UK and EU regulatory regimes. It serves four primary segments: planners and developers requiring EIA and planning support, regional and local government, central government and agencies (including Defra, the Environment Agency, and the European Commission), and industrial operators needing permitting and compliance work.

The firm's technical differentiators are its proprietary emissions and carbon accounting tools developed in-house: CURED (Calculator Using Realistic Emissions for Diesels) is a sensitivity test for vehicle NOx addressing the disconnect between official and real-world emissions factors; CREAM (Calculator for Road Emissions of Ammonia) models vehicle ammonia emissions for nitrogen-sensitive habitat assessments; the Rail Carbon Accounting Framework (RCAF) was developed for RSSB to standardise carbon accounting across the British rail industry; and the Logika Local Authority Carbon Budget Tool provides net-zero-aligned emission budgets for local authority planning decisions. The firm operates large-scale monitoring programmes including the RSSB Air Quality Monitoring Network covering 400+ sites across 71-105 railway stations nationwide.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements delivered on a sales-led GTM model via direct consulting relationships and government procurement. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements are won through competitive tenders, framework agreements, and direct proposals. Notable customers include RSSB, the European Commission, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the Greater London Authority, Heathrow Airport, London City Airport, Etex Building Performance, GTR (GB One Data Centre), and multiple UK local authorities including Mole Valley and East Herts Councils. Office footprint spans Bristol (HQ), London, Warrington, Brighton, Leeds, and Brussels, with international advisory work conducted for governments in South Africa and Australia.

Name

Air Quality Consultants

Legal name

Air Quality Consultants Ltd

Website

https://aqconsultants.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Air Quality Consultants is the UK's largest independent specialist air quality consultancy, providing monitoring, modelling, permitting, and climate change assessment services to government agencies, developers, and industrial clients across the UK and internationally, and is part of Logika Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Consulting Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Air Quality & Emissions Management (BPAHAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (Criteria Pollutants & Air Toxics) (EUAHACAA), GHG Monitoring Plans & Sampling Design (Field Protocols, QA/QC) (EUABACAE)

Keywords

• Air quality consulting
• Environmental impact assessment
• Environmental permitting services
• Emissions modelling consulting
• Climate change advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Environmental Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for air quality, odour, dust, climate change assessments and environmental permitting. Services delivered to private and public sector clients on project basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Air Quality Consultants provides independent air quality, odour, dust and climate change consultancy services to private and public sector clients in the UK and internationally. Its work covers monitoring, dispersion modelling and assessment of pollutants for planning applications, environmental impact assessments, environmental permitting, and BREEAM sustainability certification, supported by proprietary emissions models (CURED, CREAM) and large-scale monitoring programmes such as the RSSB Air Quality Monitoring Network.

Product overview

Air Quality Consultants provides environmental consultancy services organized around core air quality, climate change, and permitting offerings. The company offers specialized assessment services including Air Quality Assessment, Climate Change, Odour Assessment, Dust Assessment, Ecosystems Assessment, Health Assessment, Environmental Permitting, and BREEAM Assessments. The firm has developed proprietary modeling tools including the CURED (Calculator Using Realistic Emissions for Diesels) model and CREAM (Calculator for Road Emissions of Ammonia) model. Logika Group, the parent company comprising Air Quality Consultants Ltd, Noise Consultants Ltd, and Logika Consultants Ltd, also provides the Logika Local Authority Carbon Budget Tool and has developed the Rail Carbon Accounting Framework (RCAF) for the rail industry. The company operates large-scale monitoring programmes such as the RSSB Air Quality Monitoring Network across UK railway stations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Quality Assessment Services Comprehensive service covering monitoring, modelling and assessment of air quality pollutants that affect health and ecosystems, delivered for planning applications, EIA and policy support to private and public sector clients.
• Climate Change Services Consultancy helping clients understand and assess their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, supporting carbon accounting, carbon budgeting and net zero planning.
• Odour Assessment Desk-based risk assessments, sniff tests and dispersion modelling used to assess odour impacts from a wide range of sources for planning, permitting and EIA.
• Dust Assessment Assessment of dust emissions impacts using regular measurements around construction, demolition and industrial activities, supporting planning and compliance work.
• Ecosystems Assessment Assessment of air quality impacts of ammonia and nitrogen deposition on sensitive ecosystems for infrastructure, road and industrial projects.
• Health Assessment Assessment of human health impacts by reference to air quality objectives and limit values, with calculations of numbers of people affected.
• Environmental Permitting Complete application package for new environmental permits, variations, transfers and surrenders, plus permit reviews and ongoing compliance assessment under regimes such as the Industrial Emissions Directive.
• BREEAM Assessments BREEAM sustainability assessments provided for new developments to evaluate environmental performance as part of broader planning and design work.
• CURED Model (Calculator Using Realistic Emissions for Diesels) Proprietary sensitivity test model for vehicle NOx emissions, developed to address the gap between official emissions factors and real-world measurements and widely used in UK air quality assessments.
• CREAM Model (Calculator for Road Emissions of Ammonia) Proprietary model for calculating ammonia emissions from road vehicles, supporting assessment of traffic-related ammonia impacts on nitrogen-sensitive habitats (Version 2 released in 2025).
• RSSB Air Quality Monitoring Network (AQMN) Large nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube monitoring programme operated by Logika Group across 500+ sites at 105 UK railway stations on behalf of the Rail Safety & Standards Board.
• Rail Carbon Accounting Framework (RCAF) Step-by-step carbon accounting and reporting framework covering passenger rail operators, freight operators, rolling stock companies and infrastructure managers for the British rail industry.
• Logika Local Authority Carbon Budget Tool Tool providing recommended carbon emission budgets at Local Authority level, enabling comparison of emissions from proposed developments against net zero-aligned budgets.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.6% of clients rate services as excellent or good
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2025Logika Group led development of Rail Carbon Accounting Framework (RCAF) launched by RSSB to provide standardised carbon accounting guidance for British rail industry.
• Logika GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company structure comprising Air Quality Consultants Ltd, Noise Consultants Ltd, and Logika Consultants Ltd. Managed by single leadership team providing wider range of environmental and design consultancy services. Environmental Policy & Economics practice also part of group.
• AetherminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Aether in development of Rail Carbon Accounting Framework (RCAF) for RSSB.
• EcolyseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Ecolyse in development of Rail Carbon Accounting Framework (RCAF) for RSSB.
• Carrickarory ConsultingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Carrickarory Consulting in development of Rail Carbon Accounting Framework (RCAF) for RSSB.
• UK Centre of Ecology and Hydrology (CEH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of project team for JNCC Nitrogen Futures project assessing air quality impacts on designated nature conservation sites.
• Rothamsted ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of project team for JNCC Nitrogen Futures project.
• Lancaster UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of project team for JNCC Nitrogen Futures project.
• Manchester Metropolitan UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of project team for JNCC Nitrogen Futures project.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Jacobs: Major UK environmental consultancy practice, including Clean Air Zone delivery (Birmingham, Greater Manchester). AQC's Technical Director Nigel Bellamy joined from Jacobs' Head of Air Quality role, evidencing direct talent and capability overlap.
• Arcadis: Global design and consultancy firm with UK environmental assessment and air quality capabilities, particularly on major development and infrastructure projects.
• WSP: Large UK and global environmental consultancy with air quality, climate, and EIA services. Competes for the same major development, transport, and government air quality frameworks as AQC.
• AECOM: Global environmental and engineering consultancy with a substantial UK air quality, EIA, and permitting practice. Competes with AQC for major infrastructure frameworks (airports, highways, rail) and benefits from a much larger balance sheet and broader service portfolio.
• Amec Foster Wheeler (now part of Wood): Chris Whall (current AQC MD) was previously Director of Environmental Assessment at Amec Foster Wheeler, evidencing deep prior overlap in UK air quality and EIA delivery. Amec's environmental practice is now part of Wood, reinforcing the talent and competitive linkage to AQC.
• Wood plc: Global environmental and engineering consultancy; Toby Gibbs (now MD of Logika Consultants) previously led Wood's Global Environmental Sciences service line of 1,700+ scientists, evidencing direct capability and competitive overlap.

Direct peers

• Ricardo plc: UK-headquartered environmental and engineering consultancy with a dedicated air quality, emissions, and energy practice. Closely comparable to AQC in terms of UK footprint, technical specialism, and customer base in transport and energy.
• Waterman Group: UK multidisciplinary consultancy with a national air quality practice led by Guido Pellizzaro, who subsequently joined AQC as Associate Director. Direct talent and offering overlap with AQC's planning/developer-focused work.
• SLR Consulting: Independent global environmental and advisory consultancy with strong UK air quality, EIA, and permitting services. Closely comparable in business model (independent, specialist, project-based) and target customers.

Emerging players

• Aether: UK air quality and climate change consultancy focused on policy and evidence work for Defra, EC and similar clients. Partnered with AQC/Logika on the Rail Carbon Accounting Framework and competes in the same government/agency policy niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aqconsultants
• Facebookfacebook.com/marcomcreative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/air-quality-consultants-ltd

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Air Quality Consultants