How much land is contaminated in the UK?
This applied however to England and Wales, with a separate report identifying 3,720 ha or 725 sites for Wales, which results in approximately 296,000 ha in England.
How do I know if my land is contaminated?
The only real way to confirm the presence of any contamination on the land is to carry out a very expensive soil survey, but the first step is usually to draw on any information which is already known. We have information which has been drawn from a number of sources and records up to two hundred years old.
What are the main contaminated land issues in the UK?
Arsenic, lead and benzo(a)pyrene are the most common substances causing contamination. Of the reported sites determined as contaminated land, remediation has been initiated on at least 493 sites, with work being reported as being complete at 433 of these sites.
Can I buy a house on contaminated land?
In some cases, a contaminated property may need remediation work which can have huge financial implications as well as making difficult it to sell or re-mortgage. However, if the risk of the contamination is deemed low, it may be possible to get a mortgage to buy a property on contaminated land.
Who is responsible for contaminated land?
Once it has been established that the land is classified as contaminated, there will be a responsibility for the relevant person to clean up, i.e. remediation. The Environmental Protection Act states that the responsibility for cleaning up contaminated land is generally the person who caused the contamination.
What happens if you build on contaminated land?
If you uncover contamination during the construction process on a site that was identified as suitable for building with no previous signs of contamination present you could be liable for remediation expenses to put this right.
How do you get rid of contaminated land?
There are three main clean-up techniques:
- Excavation and removal of contaminated soil followed by either disposal or off-site treatment.
- Limiting the spread of the contamination.
- Using a treatment to destroy, remove or detoxify containments.
What is classed as contaminated land?
What counts as contaminated land. Land is legally defined as ‘contaminated land’ where substances are causing or could cause: significant harm to people, property or protected species. significant pollution of surface waters (for example lakes and rivers) or groundwater. harm to people as a result of radioactivity.
How do you remediate contaminated land?
In-situ methods for contaminated land treatment involve methods of immobilising, stabilising, washing, transforming or separating contaminants in the soil. By utilising these methods we are able to change the nature of the contaminant source in order to reduce the risk to the surrounding environment.
Is it safe to live on contaminated land?
Is it safe to live on contaminated land? At its worst, contaminated land may present a hazard to potential users of the land or to the environment. Although in most cases the risks associated with living on sites that have been previously used by industry are low.
What can land be contaminated with?
Land can be contaminated by things like:
- heavy metals, such as arsenic, cadmium and lead.
- oils and tars.
- chemical substances and preparations, like solvents.
- gases.
- asbestos.
- radioactive substances.
How is contaminated land assessed in the UK?
The risk assessment of contaminated land may range from a straightforward desktop study and qualitative risk assessment to more complex quantitative risk assessments, which include undertaking intrusive site investigations in Northern Ireland, UK or the Republic of Ireland and the subsequent monitoring of water, soil and ground gases.
What is the new name for land contamination?
The new update is known as Land Contamination: Risk Management (LCRM). Practically all contaminated land in the UK (and in Ireland who adopted the UK model), was done on the principles set out in CLR11.
Why is there a risk of contaminated land?
Contaminated land could contain any hazardous substance and could be caused by your current operations or what the land has been used for previously. The risk from this is dependent on what the substances are and where the site is located (its environmental sensitivity).
When did Environment Agency replace CLR11 with land contamination?
Environment Agency replaces CLR11 with Land contamination: Risk Management (LCRM) The Environment Agency has recently published (June 2019) an update to the Model Procedures for the Management of Contaminated Land (CLR11), that underpinned the remediation of contaminated sites since it was first issued 2004.