Advice for Homeowners

Why consult GOCLS

Typically we are asked to advise homeowners for one of two reasons:

• A report from Groundsure or Landmark indicates a potential issue with contaminated land and a more detailed assessment is required
• A planning condition for the extension or additional property which has been granted stipulates that one is required.

We will consider your project individually and talk through your concerns in order to ensure that we understand your specific requirements.

Why is a Phase 1 Environmental Report required

We are often asked, “Why do I need a phase 1 environmental report, desktop study, or contamination report”. There are laws and guidance from professional bodies on these matters but at the root it is about the growing awareness of the potential impact of the environment on our health and wellbeing. When we produce a phase 1 environmental report or desktop study we are looking at the information available about your property and its locality, both current and historic. We use our experience to decide if there is potentially any unacceptable risk to human health or to other sensitive “receptors”, such as buildings, plants or animals. Some potential sources of contamination are obvious; the local gas works for example, others less so. Typical examples of potential sources of contamination are old pits or cellars filled with contaminated material or rotting rubbish producing methane and other gases, rebuilding on bomb damaged sites or old industrial complexes without consideration of chemicals we now know to be harmful. (Request a quote)

Flood risk

Floods and the risk of flooding have been in the news with what appears to be increasing frequency and whatever the cause the consequences can be devastating. Our flood risk assessments look at the potential risk of flooding by the sea, by rivers overtopping their banks or inadequate sewers unable to cope with sever rainfall. We also provide advice on measures that might be taken to reduce the risk and on setting floor levels for new properties. (Request a quote)

Buying or selling a property

Buying or selling a property is stressful enough at the best of times, for this reason we aim to make our advice to purchasers and vendors as clear simple and straight forward as possible. If it is considered the land might be contaminated we can review an existing report or prepare reports assessing the potential risk and whether further action is required. This might mean taking samples for testing and in some cases either removing the contamination or ensuring that it does not pose an unacceptable risk.

Call me, Peter George, now for advice on your property, 07765 232995 or email. We are here to help you.

New Building or Extension

If you have had a Pre-Application discussion with the local authority and been advised that a Phase 1 Environmental Report will be required or if you have received a decision notice with a contaminated land condition we can help. Our repots are suitable either for submission with a planning application or in response to one of the planning conditions. If possible we always contact the local authority in order to ensure we are aware of any particular concerns they may have and address these in our report. These reports include risk assessments and preliminary site specific conceptual models to satisfy the local authority’s contaminated land officer.