Contamination

Local councils take a precautionary approach to the assessment of contamination and Phase 1 Contamination Studies are often required when the end user is sensitive to contamination e.g. residential, or when existing or past land uses carry the potential to contaminate e.g. industrial, agricultural, transport infrastructure.  This precautionary approach places pressure on developers to ensure potential contamination is identified at the outset of the planning process, and that suitable mitigating measures are put into place to ensure contamination can be identified and remediated.

The precautionary approach taken by local authorities is promoted within Planning Policy Statement 23 ‘Planning and Pollution Control’.  The Practice possesses the necessary experience to outline potential contamination issues at the outset of the planning process.  Desk top studies can be undertaken to identify historic land uses which are capable of causing contamination and site visits can be used to find evidence of contamination which may be present on a site.  This evidence can then be used to compile a Phase 1 Contamination Study which can often rule out the potential for contamination to exist.

If evidence of contamination is found then mitigating measures should be proposed to ensure contamination is remediated or planning conditions can be used to ensure suitable provisions are in place to remediate contamination during the development process.

Contamination issues rarely prevent a development from obtaining planning permission; however the policy framework put into place at local and national levels must be closely followed to ensure contamination is identified early in the planning process and remediation is considered.  The remediation of contaminated land can often be a material consideration which provides substantial support for a scheme; good planning can ensure that this benefit is brought forward without burdening a client with unnecessary costs.