Contaminated Land in Hampshire: Get Your Rapid Report

Hampshire and contaminated land: reports to support development

Hampshire County Council manages contaminated land to ensure safe and sustainable development across the county. While the council oversees strategic planning matters, responsibility for identifying and remediating contaminated land rests with the local authorities within Hampshire.

Historic causes of contaminated land in Hampshire

Hampshire’s diverse geology, including chalk, clay, and gravel formations, can influence the mobility and persistence of contaminants in the environment. Land declared contaminated may contain substances such as solvents, heavy metals, gases, oils, tars, asbestos, or radioactive materials in quantities that could present an unacceptable risk of significant harm to human health, controlled waters, environmental health or further pollution incidents..

Historical land and industrial activities have contributed to land contamination issues in the county, including:

• Former industrial sites and gas works : Residual contamination may remain from industrial processes.
• Landfill sites and waste disposal: Land affected on former sites may contain various contaminants.
• Chemical and petrochemical industries: Sites previously used for chemical manufacturing or storage of petroleum products may have soil and groundwater contamination.
• Agricultural activities: Intensive farming practices could have left pesticides and fertiliser residues in the soil.

Contaminated land legislation and council policy

Hampshire County Council, along with the county’s district and borough councils, is bound by legislation in Part iia of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This mandates local authorities to adopt a contaminated land strategy, inspect land that may be contaminated, maintain a public register of such sites and oversee remediation work to protect human health and the environment.

Also, Paragraph 197 of the National Planning Policy Framework states that responsibility for  safely redeveloping contaminated land is placed on the developer or current land owner, referencing the polluter pays principle.

To provide consistent guidance and assist developers, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Contaminated Land Liaison Group, comprising representatives from all Hampshire local authorities and the Environment Agency, has produced the `Development on Potentially Contaminated Land’ guidance document. This document outlines best practices and provides further information for assessing and managing contaminated land sites during development. Thorough site investigation and compliance with this guidance can prevent the possibility of regulatory action or a remediation notice being served on a site in future.

Brownfield land and redevelopment

The redevelopment of brownfield (previously developed) land is supported by the council. While such land may be contaminated, reusing it reduces the need to build on greenfield areas and ensures that development happens in convenient locations. This strategy means that due consideration must be paid to any former pollution incidents on brownfield land sites by the current landowner to ensure that during development, these sites are left in such a condition that no further unacceptable risk exists.

The council’s development plan policy states: “Development affecting contaminated land will be permitted provided that the site is suitable for its intended use.”

Steps for developing contaminated land in Hampshire

If you’re considering developing a potentially contaminated site in Hampshire, it is likely that a contaminated land risk assessment and site investigation will be required. Start by following these steps:

• Pre-Application Consultation: Engage with the local planning authority early to discuss its contaminated land regime, potential land contamination issues with your site and the required assessments.
• Preliminary Risk Assessment (PRA): Conduct a desk study to assess past industrial processes on the site, and a walkover to the site boundary to identify potential contamination sources and pathways. A PRA can be conducted by geo-environmental consultants working to the Environment Agency’s Land Contamination Risk Management guidelines.
• Site Investigation: If necessary, perform further investigation to acquire the required environmental information. This may include soil and groundwater sampling to identify contaminated land.
• Remediation Strategy: Develop a comprehensive plan to remediate identified contaminants, ensuring the site is safe for its intended use.
• Validation and Reporting: After remediation, provide evidence of all the environmental information required to the council, demonstrating that the site meets all requirements of the Environmental Protection Act and poses no unacceptable risk from land contamination.

Contaminated land strategy: redevelopment to create safe spaces

By careful management of contaminated land, Hampshire County Council aims to ensure effective development while eliminating any significant possibility of harm to human health, environmental health or pollution incidents. Redeveloping historically contaminated sites such as landfill sites to create usable spaces is an important part of the council’s vision of urban regeneration alongside environmental care.

Adherence to legislation in part iia of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the council’s contaminated land inspection strategy will ensure that future pollution risk is minimised.

For further information or to discuss specific questions about a site, please contact Arbtech’s experienced geo-environmental consultants who can help you to devise a contaminated land strategy. Simply fill in our quick quote form at the top of this page with your contact details.