Contaminated Land
Land that has been polluted by substances at concentrations that pose an unacceptable risk to human health, controlled waters, or the environment, typically requiring assessment and potential remediation before development.
Contaminated land is defined under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 as land that appears to be in such a condition, by reason of substances in, on, or under it, that significant harm is being caused or there is a significant possibility of significant harm being caused, or that significant pollution of controlled waters is being caused or there is a significant possibility of such pollution.
In the context of planning and development, contaminated land assessment is typically required whenever a site has a history of potentially contaminative land use — including industrial manufacturing, fuel storage, waste disposal, mining, military use, or agricultural chemical storage.
The assessment process follows the Land Contamination Risk Management (LCRM) framework (which replaced the CLR11 Model Procedures in 2020) and proceeds through staged investigation:
- Phase 1 Desk Study: Desk-based review of historical mapping, environmental data, and a site walkover to develop a Conceptual Site Model and preliminary risk assessment
- Phase 2 Site Investigation: Intrusive investigation with soil, groundwater, and gas sampling to characterise ground conditions and quantify risk
- Remediation Strategy: Design of measures to manage unacceptable risks — which may include excavation, treatment, capping, or monitoring
- Verification Report: Post-remediation documentation confirming that the remediation objectives have been met
Planning conditions related to contaminated land typically require all four stages to be completed before development can proceed or be occupied.
Aegaea provides contaminated land assessment services covering Phase 1 and Phase 2 investigations, delivering planning-compliant reports that satisfy Environmental Health Officers and the Environment Agency.