Contaminated Land
What is Contaminated Land?
Land that is contaminated contains substances that are in or under the land that are potentially or are actually potentially hazardous to health or the environment.
Great Britain has a long history of industrial production and throughout the UK there are numerous sites where the land has become contaminated by human activities such as mining, industry, chemical and oil spills and waste disposal.
Contamination can also occur naturally as a result of the geology of the area, or through agricultural use.
What Risks Are There?
The presence of contamination in the ground does not necessarily mean that there is a problem. In many cases there will be minimal risk from living or working on contaminated ground. However, in some cases sites are so contaminated they present an unacceptable health risk.
Types of Contamination.
Human exposure to contaminants can be through inhalation i.e. dust or gases. Contact with soil or through food grown on the land. Pollutants draining from the land in liquid form can also contaminate groundwater, rivers and ponds. Certain contaminants may be corrosive and in certain cases can pose the risk of an explosive fire.
How Long Does Contamination Last?
Once a contaminant reaches the soil it may break down, be neutralised, be washed out by rainfall, evaporate or remain in the soil building up to a higher concentration. Therefore the length of contamination will be dependant on the balance between the rate of input and the rate of removal of the contaminant. When contaminants build up, it may not be permanent. However, soil can sometimes be polluted indefinitely.
Cleaning up contaminated land
Until recently, contamination usually became an issue only where there was a pollution incident, or where the site was selected for redevelopment through the planning process. Now, under the requirements of Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990, local authorities are required to make assessments of land in their areas to decide which sites are or could be causing harm or pollution and to take action to ensure that it is made safe. This might result in the original polluters, landowners, and other responsible persons (including domestic property owners) becoming responsible for cleaning up a site.
If land is found to be contaminated, it must be restored to a state in which is it "suitable for use". The local authority will agree with the responsible persons the degree to which the land should be cleaned up, in relation to the risk that the land is posing to health or the environment and pollution of watercourses and groundwater.
In the case of redevelopment, the developer will be responsible for ensuring that the site is suitable for its intended use, and in most cases the enforcement of any remediation requirements will be made via formal agreements such as planning conditions and building control.
How Simply Think UK can help.
Simply Think UK has a Nationwide Team of Surveyors. Call the National Hotline 0845 194 7330 or hit the Quotation Button.
