Contaminated Land Surveys

Everything You Need to Know About Contaminated Land Surveys

If your development plans include land contaminated by asbestos, ground gases, heavy metals, herbicides, hydrocarbons, inorganic compounds, pesticides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or other named elements and harmful substances, your proposal could be stalled by concerns for health and safety and planning regulations within the planning system..

Developers are often affected by problems with contaminated land during development or redevelopment projects. But if you speak to our team, you can book a contaminated land survey and let a specialist analyse any unwanted elements and ground contamination on your site, suggest suitable solutions, and help your project to continue.

What is Contaminated Land?

Contaminated land is a specific area that contains significant pollution in the form of substances capable of harming present people, new or existing structures, and listed protected species.

It appears as an issue for planning across several different acts of active legislation, including Part IIA/Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Such a condition raises restrictions around planning permission, especially as it can cause such harm to human health and the environment, as well as generally interfering with rural affairs.

In addition to that, it features in planning policies and regulations, such as the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG): Land Affected by Contamination, and the Building Regulations & Environmental Permitting Regulations.

Types of Contaminated Land

Various settings and buildings can experience contaminants, such as:

More than any setting, industrial areas commonly cause contamination due to potentially decades of human activities. Depending on the severity, it can cause a significant risk to the present location, the surrounding area or the wider environment, and on contaminated sites with radioactive contaminated land, such pollution could cause significant harm.

What Causes Land Contamination?

When hazardous substances have been introduced into an area’s soil, groundwater, controlled waters or surface water and create risks to human health and/or the environment, the contaminated land regime within the Environmental Protection Act 1990 classifies the legal definition of it as land contamination.

Contaminating the land can happen directly through substances spilling onto the land or indirectly through substances reaching the land through air or water. After they’ve arrived on the site, it is possible for them to stay there and potentially in the surrounding environment for decades into the future.

Examples of causes of land contamination include accidental spills, historic industrial activity, poor waste management, and unregulated disposal. Other potential causes recognised by the statutory guidance and the enforcing authority are listed within the categories below:

Causes of Land Contamination

Contaminated Land Issues

The impact of contaminated land can significantly disrupt a development. Not only does it have legal implications, but it also has practical effects that could get in the way of the plans being completed as originally planned, and it raises a significant possibility of harm to people and the environment.

Common issues caused by contaminated land include a change to the future resale value, delays to the planning project, an increase to the overall cost of the proposed works, problems with getting planning acceptance from the local planning authority, and the introduction of new risks relating to health and the environment.

For more details on this, we’ve explained what it does to disrupt both land and property development below:

Land Development

• Changes to Layout Design
• Ground Stability Affected by Buried Structures and Waste Materials
• Necessity for Long-Term Monitoring
• Reduced Site Viability
• Site Investigation Surveys Required for Planning Approval

Property Development

• Design Constraints
• Developer Liability
• Mortgage and Resale Restrictions
• Pre-Purchase Risks
• Stricter Planning Conditions

Contaminated Land Surveying

What is a Contaminated Land Assessment?

A contaminated land assessment or contaminated land survey is something requested by the local planning authorities that will ensure the land is suitable for the intended use and safe from harming people and the environment that come into contact with it.

The assessment process follows a tiered phased approach and results in the consultant creating a report to see what further action is required and eventually passing it on to the planning officer from the local authority. A contaminated land strategy will then include enough further guidance that the local authorities can grant planning consent without any issues.

Contaminated Land Survey

Stage 1

Phase 1 Desk Study (Preliminary Risk Assessment):

The universal starting point across all planning-related land contamination assessments, stage one involves a review of historical land uses, an environmental search for relevant data, a walkover site inspection and an initial risk assessment.

Stage 2

Phase 1 Site Inspection (Intrusive Site Investigation)

If the phase 1 study points towards potential contamination, stage two involves on-site sampling of soil and groundwater, the creation of trial pits or boreholes, laboratory analysis and testing for contaminants, considering pollutant linkage to the surrounding area, and potentially sampling ground gas and monitoring for gas and/or vapour.

Stage 3

Remediation Strategy (If Needed)

If contamination is confirmed above acceptable levels, a necessary remediation plan will be needed, with stage three potentially involving capping contaminated areas, installing gas protection measures, managing waste disposal and removing or treating contaminated soil among various forms of treatment methods and remedial work.

Contaminated Land Report

The report from contamination surveys is classed as Stage 4 in the process, and it confirms that the development site is now suitable for the new use.

Both a Phase 1 and Phase 2 assessment will conclude with the creation of a report, as dictated by the Land Contamination Risk Management (LCRM) guidance from the Environment Agency (EA).

Whether the process ends after a phase 1 survey or continues into more advanced stages with a phase 2 survey, the corresponding reports may include a detailed quantitative risk assessment, the steps of contaminated land assessments, measures that dealt with any issues, and a recommendation to the local planning authority that the planning application can be granted.

Dealing with Contaminated Land

Although you may be concerned by the thought of what contaminated land could do to your development plans, it is perfectly possible to manage it correctly as long as the right professionals are hired.

We offer end-to-end support, from conducting an early desk study to producing a report to show how we’ve addressed any potential problems caused by harmful contaminants. Refer to our team, and let us simplify an otherwise complex issue.

Before you commit to us, you may be interested to learn more about how we work. Below, you can read more about the professionals who undertake assessments, the cost of our surveys and reports, and how you can speak to us about your project.

Contaminated Land Specialist

We’ve undertaken countless contaminated land surveys for clients all over the country, with consultants in each part of the British Isles and no limit to where we can reach. All of our contaminated land consultants are specialists and possess the qualifications, training and experience to be effective at supporting your development goals.

Mixing an understanding of planning requirements and contaminated land, we offer planning expertise and provide advice that proactively prevents your development from hitting any stumbling blocks as a result of contaminants on the development site. We operate with all of the latest updates from relevant regulators, making sure that what we do is by the book and based on current guidelines.

Contaminated Land Survey Cost

The amount of fees for your development plans can feel overwhelming, especially as they mount up and add additional unexpected costs to the amount you’re paying to get your project completed. For an accurate quote based on the unique details of your site, we recommend getting in touch with our team directly so we can price up the actual cost of a contaminated land survey.

Instead of placing a universal price across all clients – ignoring the size of the development site and the scale of the planning project – we determine the cost of each and every client’s needs and specifications. That way, we ensure that we remain fair in how we calculate the cost of contaminated land assessments and prevent anyone from paying more than they need to.

Contaminated Land Assessment Near Me

With all of the information above, you should be ready to book a contaminated land survey with our team. It is important to remember, however, that our friendly team are always happy to answer any questions. If you need to do that or want us to create a bespoke quote, contact us via email, over the phone or through the contact page on our website.

Using the details you pass on to us, we will put a free quote together for you to look over. If you are happy with it, let us know, and we can pick a date to support your development. Based on the help of our team, you will be able to continue your development into future stages, bypass issues caused by present contaminants, and get planning approval.