The explosion and fire at the Buncefield oil depot in Hemel Hempstead occurred in 2005. This may seem a long time ago, however the foam used to fight this fire and many other sources have or a leaving a toxic legacy that does not break down once released into the environment. 

These per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), used in a wide range of everyday items as well as firefighting foams and industrial processes can now be found in concerning concentrations in our soil and water.

New housing developments, hotels and student accommodation, in the vicinity of vulnerable watercourses must demonstrate that they do not increase phosphate and nitrate levels beyond pre-consent levels.

The new ‘Nutrient Mitigation Scheme’ has been set up to enable developers to purchase government-backed credits, with the revenues raised invested in new and expanded wetlands and woodlands.

Why

These tests are to determine the appropriate category of landfill.

What they are Not

They will not determine if a site is or is not ‘contaminated’.

Contaminated land legally means land that contains substances that could cause significant harm to people, property, or protected species.  This also includes land that carries the risk of polluting surface waters of lakes or rivers.  

The answer to this is not as straightforward as you might imagine; it rather depends on who is asking and why they are asking. So let us consider the who or why:

The new brownfield fund opens the potential for derelict brownfield sites across England will be transformed into thousands of new homes

The adverse impact of over production of nutrients is something we have known about for a long time, unfortunately there has been little coordinated action to address the matter. As my grandmother would have said “A stitch in time saves nine”, I suspect there are some who feel that on this issue we long ago passed the point where nine stitches were going to do the job but to use another we worn phrase, better late than never.

An interesting article by Steven Porter and Sam Wardleworth of Pinsent Masons makes the case that:

There are several areas in which the law governing landfill tax in England and Northern Ireland could be clarified so that the tax better supports the government’s environmental objectives, including achieving zero avoidable waste by 2050.

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New measures to recover from the pandemic and help provide much-needed new homes have been set out recently by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick.

Under the proposals, cities will be encouraged to plan for more family homes – which are the right size and type for families to live in – and to make the most of vacant buildings and underused land to protect green spaces. 

A developer is now able to give planning authorities “Prior Notification” of certain changes of use rather than applying for full planning permission. These changes of use include:
 Change of use of a building from business to residential
 Change of use of a building to a school
 Change of use from an agricultural building to another use