This resource consists of a spatial dataset and an accompanying technical document.
- This spatial dataset identifies locations in England where there is high demand to improve air quality. It was created to support prioritisation of first round applications to the Slurry Infrastructure Grant, which Defra launched in October 2022. It identifies designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in England which have known features sensitive to ammonia emissions and that currently exceed the threshold at which adverse effects are known to occur, called their critical level. These sites were then buffered by 2 km to identify priority areas for air quality improvements.
- The technical document sets out the methods proposed for and selected to identify the sites most vulnerable to ammonia emissions in England to prioritise the Slurry Infrastructure Grantâs first round applications.
The method used was developed in consultation with an expert group made up of Air Quality specialists across Defra and its associated Arms-Length Bodies. The spatial layer contains embedded features from a number of datasets, however the original features have been heavily altered and none of the original attributes have been retained.
Full details on how this layer was used, alongside a water quality layer, to prioritise applications to the grant can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/slurry-infrastructure-grant.
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