Contaminated land in Chichester: assess risk correctly
There is a strategic approach to dealing with contaminated land in Chichester which is important to understand if you’re considering developing a site in the area. Rather than West Sussex County Council, Chichester District Council is the enforcing authority responsible for identifying and managing contaminated land within the district, ensuring that any development is safe for both people and the environment.
Hazards posed by polluted land
Risks to the health of humans or the environment can arise from contaminated land, which may contain substances like heavy metals, oils, tars, chemical solvents, gases, asbestos, or radioactive materials. The district’s diverse geology, including chalk, clay, and gravel formations, can influence the way that contaminants travel.
In Chichester, historical industrial activities have contributed to land contamination, including:
- Former industrial sites: Areas previously used for industrial purposes may have residual contamination from past activities.
- Landfill disposal: Sites that were historically used for waste disposal may contain various contaminants such as landfill gas.
- Chemical industries: Chemical manufacturing or storage of petroleum products may have led to soil and groundwater contamination.
- Agricultural use: Pesticide and fertiliser residues may be left in agricultural land in West Sussex.
The council’s contaminated land strategy:
- Identifying and removing unacceptable risks to health and the environment.
- Seeking land remediation through the development management system.
- Encouraging voluntary remediation of sites where appropriate.
- Ensuring that contaminated land is made suitable for its proposed use.
- The strategy also states that land is not considered contaminated unless there is substantive evidence to the contrary.
Legal requirements surrounding contaminated land
According to Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, local authorities must identify and remediate contaminated land to protect human health and the environment. Paragraph 197 of the National Planning Policy Framework places statutory duties for the safe redevelopment of such sites on developers or landowners. Councils should maintain public registers containing up-to-date information about contaminated sites which can provide further guidance and satisfy environmental information requests.
Brownfield land
The redevelopment of previously developed land (or brownfield sites) is encouraged, to preserve green fields and to ensure that development happens in sustainable areas. The council’s priorities include:
- Protecting human health from any such harm that may be indicated on a site.
- Protecting controlled waters and ecosystems.
- Preventing damage to property.
- Preventing any further land contamination.
- Encouraging the re-use of brownfield land.
A step-by-step guide to developing contaminated land
- Pre-Application Consultation: Meet with the council’s planning department to discuss your site, potential contamination issues and the required reports. A contaminated land risk assessment is generally needed.
- Preliminary Risk Assessment: The phase 1 preliminary risk investigation involves a desk study and site inspection to look for potential sources of contamination and pollutant linkage. The assessment must be carried out by a geo-environmental consultant working to the Environment Agency’s Land Contamination Risk Management guidelines.
- Site Investigation: If the preliminary risk assessment indicates that further investigations are needed, such as soil and groundwater testing, this will form phase 2 of the process. This may involve satisfying soil guideline values if required on a special site: for example, a site that historically requires landfill disposal may be contaminated with landfill gas. In some cases, a British Geological Survey report will be needed to provide information on ground conditions.
- Remediation Strategy: A contaminated land strategy must be created to deal with such pollution issues effectively and eliminate any significant possibility of the site causing future concerns. On a particular site this may mean adopting a revised contaminated land strategy or obtaining an environmental permit before the council will discharge consent. The Environment Agency holds further information on these requirements.
- Validation and Reporting: When remediation work is completed, the local planning authority must be provided with evidence to prove that the required safety and environmental standards have been met and the site is in such a condition that it will pose no potential risks. Planning applications may then proceed through the planning process.
Geo-environmental consultants’ role
Geo-environmental consultants can:
- Conduct contaminated land assessments: their work involves completing desk studies, site inspections and risk assessments to identify contamination.
- Draw up a contaminated land strategy and remediation plans to mitigate or remove contaminants effectively, after considering information on the contaminated land register.
- Liaise with local authorities to ensure compliance with legal and environmental standards according to Environment Agency guidelines. This may mean devising a revised contaminated land strategy.
- Monitor remediation on site and provide validation reports to confirm that the site has been made safe for redevelopment.
Environmental protection alongside development in West Sussex
Chichester’s contaminated land strategy ensures collaboration between developers and consultants to enable the safe remediation and development of contaminated land to avoid the risk of significant harm in future.
Transforming contaminated sites into areas suitable for new development is central to the council’s aims of urban regeneration alongside environmental protection.
For more information about how Arbtech’s experienced geo-environmental consultants can help you with contaminated land assessments, fill in our quick quote form at the top of this page.