Understanding contaminated land and planning permission will save you valuable time on your development project.
Why Contaminated Land Triggers Conditions
Planning conditions will be set requiring the site to be investigated and where necessary, cleaned up prior to or during the development. The planning authority will expect the development to be suitable for use.
The Site Investigation Reports Planners Need
Once the Planner has gained confidence in the history of contamination on a site, they would normally wish for a site investigation to be carried out to assess the risk to health, controlled water and the environment from contaminants left in the soil. A Phase 1 desk study would be followed by a Phase 2 intrusive investigation to assess the risk of contaminants. The Phase 2 report must identify any contaminants that are found, measure their concentration and assess the risk of any of the contaminants found to human health, controlled water and the environment. Guidance on how contaminated land risk is assessed for planning purposes sets out for local authorities how contaminated land risk is to be assessed for planning purposes.
Submitting a Remediation Strategy
When contamination has been established a Remediation Strategy (or similar document) needs to be written and approved by the planning authority prior to commencement of works. Remediation methods, such as bioremediation, soil washing or solidification/stabilisation, are detailed within the document along with expected clean up levels and timescales for completion.
Soil Remediation is covered in more detail at https://soilfix.co.uk/services/soil-remediation.
What a Verification Report Must Contain
After remediation of contaminated land, verification or validation reports can be prepared. These reports evidence that the objectives for the site remediation have been met and must include amongst others details on sampling undertaken, results of laboratory tests conducted and a clear statement that the agreed end-point concentrations for the site have been achieved.
Missing or Incomplete Evidence
As ever, getting the reports right the first time is critical. A report that has been inadequately prepared can risk generating conditions that cannot be discharged.
