Much of the United Kingdom suffers from contaminated land due to its industrial heritage. The most common forms of contamination are chemical pollutants present in the ground (typically heavy metals and hydro -carbons) as well as explosive or poisonous gases (methane and carbon dioxide).
The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Part IIA) is the principal legislation covering the identification and remediation of contaminated and polluted land.
UK legislation is framed in such a way as to require Risk Assessments of potentially contaminated land to be undertaken, specifically relating to the pollutant/pathway/receptor model.
Ways of treating contaminated land typically involve either reducing the concentration of the contaminant or breaking the pathway between the contaminant and the receptor.
Initially, it is normal practice to undertake a Desk Study (sometimes known as a Phase 1 Preliminary Risk Assessment) to identify in advance from historical usage what are likely to be the principal contaminants.
Carley Daines & Partners advise clients extensively in the re-development of Brownfield sites . Services provided fall into the following categories:-
- Production of Phase 1 Desk Studies and Preliminary Risk Assessments
- Phase 2 intrusive investigations involving full geotechnical and environmental testing to determine contamination concentrations, and remediation strategies.