Britain has a long history of industrial activity, which has led to the contamination of land in some areas of the country. The Environment Agency has estimated that there may be some 300,000 hectares of land in the UK that has been affected to some extent by natural or industrial contamination (DEFRA Circular 01/2006). There is now a growing understanding of the consequences of land contamination and recognition of the need to remediate and reuse previously developed 'brownfield' sites.

 

Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council has prepared a strategy with regard to its duties under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, as inserted by section 57 of the Environment Act 1995, which requires the Authority to ''cause its area to be inspected from time to time for the purpose of identifying contaminated land''.

 

Part IIA came into force 1^st April 2000 and represents a regulatory framework for the identification and remediation of historically contaminated land. Guidance on the new regime requires the Authority to adopt a ''strategic approach'' in inspecting their land and to describe and publish this in a written strategy.

 

The strategy includes details of the policy of the Authority in respect to contamination, risk assessment, Authority priority actions and timescales and details of review mechanisms.

 

The Authority published the adopted strategy in June 2001 in time for the 30^th June 2001 deadline.

 

Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990 as inserted by section 57 of the Environment Act 1995, places a statutory duty on Barrow Borough Council (the Authority) to ''cause its areas to be inspected from time to time for the purpose of identifying Contaminated Land''. Part IIA came into force 1^st April 2000 and represents a new regulatory framework for the identification and remediation of historically Contaminated Land. The Secretary of State has also issued Statutory Guidance for implementing the new Contaminated Land regime in England.

This strategy document sets out a framework for how Barrow Borough Council will implement its inspection duties under Part IIA EPA 1990. It details inspection arrangements and procedures and explains how these will be carried out and over what timescale. With regard to the assessment of Contaminated Land, procedures are proposed with prioritisation to be given to the protection of human health. The strategy also describes work already done within the Authority in preparation for the new regime to identify and prioritise areas for further work.

For a site to be identified as Contaminated Land it must have all three elements of a pollutant linkage present. A source, pathway and receptor must be identified and significant harm or significant possibility of harm must also be shown. It may be possible for areas of land to have the presence of contamination, but not meet the requirements for the designation for Contaminated Land. It is therefore possible that the expectation of some members of the public will not be met by the powers the Authority may exercise under the Contaminated Land legislation.

The Authority is required to maintain a register of details of land that has been designated as Contaminated Land. The details and contents of the register are set out in the legislation and access to the register is available to the public. The Environmental Health Department within the Authority will be responsible for the maintenance of this register.

As well as an ongoing inspection programme the Authority recognises that some sites may be identified which may require urgent action and these sites will be dealt with as they arise. The Authority also recognises that implementation of the strategy will require reviews to ensure that the requirements of the legislation are met.

 

Land affected by previous development may present a risk to a variety of current and future users and pose limitations for future development. In order for these sites to be evaluated risk management processes need to be implemented so that land contamination can be dealt with in a way that is consistent with government policies and legislation within the UK.

 

If you are developing or planning to develop a 'brownfield' site within the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, please see the following link:

 

 

This leaflet highlights the information required from the first stage of potential contaminated land investigation (Preliminary Risk Assessment) and lists some key publications and things to remember when constructing reports.

Comments regarding the strategy and issues relating to Contaminated Land within the Authority should be addressed to:

 

Mrs A Pearson

Environmental Protection Team Leader

Environmental Health Department

Barrow Borough Council

Town Hall

Duke Street

Barrow-in-Furness

Cumbria

LA14 2LD

 

Email: environment@barrowbc.gov.uk.