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If you would like to report a piece of land that you believe to be contaminated, please complete our online report form.
Details: Contamination caused the presence of a former gasworks, contaminants such as lead and cyanide also existed in elevated levels on site. The surrounding 26 properties were also affected, although not deemed significantly under Part IIA, due to the possible replacement of old school playing field topsoil with gasworks derived material. Councillors voted in February 2006 to remediate both parts of the site. The remediation (in Summer 2008) involved the excavation of soil to 1mbgl and replacement with clean soil.
A consultation was had with the owner/occupier taken place on a site or any adjacent sites, with regard to section 78G(3):
21/4/09: There are currently no such consultations taking place but these consultations have already taken place on the above site.
Please call the Councils Scientific Officer (Environmental Services) on 01353 665555 if you require additional advice.
Read Public Health England’s factsheet on potentially contaminated land, gardens and allotments
Under current government guidance, liability for historic contamination lies with the polluter of the land, known as a Class A Person.
If the polluter cannot be found, liability rests with the owner and or occupier of the land, known as a Class B Person.
If a Class B person cannot be found the site is declared an 'orphan site' and responsibility rests with the local authority.
In general, where a site is being re-developed, the developer pays for the remediation of the land.
The council has a range of responsibilities with respect to contaminated land.
Firstly, we regulate potentially contaminated sites through the planning process. This includes the ability to attach conditions to the planning permissions of sites which are potentially contaminated. The majority of the contaminated sites are dealt with in this manner.
We also have statutory responsibilities under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to review potentially contaminated sites in our district and assess them in terms of what risk they post to health and the water supply.
We then prioritise sites according to risk and encourage, or if necessary enforce, clean-up works.
Specifically we are responsible for:
Under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 the statutory definition of contaminated land is '...land which appears to the local authority in whose area it is situated to be in such a condition, by reason of substances in, on or under the land, that:
Statutory guidance has been issued concerning this definition (DEFRA Circular 01/2006).
Land is usually contaminated through a previous or existing industrial use. Examples of such uses are:
In many instances contamination on land will only pose a risk if a receptor, such as a person, is exposed to the land. This typically happens when brownfield land is re-developed. If land is causing an immediate risk, then the authority will work with the polluter/landowners to make the land safe.
Contaminants from the soil, such as heavy metals and hydrocarbons, may enter our bodies and present risks, through:
Other potential impacts of contaminated land include:
The councils' current Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy is included below:
Read government guidance on land affected by contamination.