Contaminated Land

Environmental Protection works to minimise the impact of land contamination on public health and to ensure that contamination issues are addressed when land is developed.

If you are concerned about possible land contamination, please contact with details of the location affected and any background information you can provide us with.

We maintain a Public Register of Contaminated Land within its district which can be viewed free of charge at these offices.  The Register only contains specified information relating to sites legally determined to be contaminated land, as defined by Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.  Please note that the Register currently has no entries.

The Council is able to undertake a property specific review of all land quality information it holds in relation to an enquiry site.  Undertaking a specific search goes beyond making existing information available and therefore, a charge is made for this service. If more than two hours of staff time is required, we will provide an estimate of the cost for your approval before proceeding further.

The Council will be able to provide a response to the following queries:

1. Do we have any records of a former industrial use at the site or adjacent area?
2. Do we have any records of previous site investigations and/or remediation work at the site or adjacent area?
3. Do we have any specific concerns regarding ground conditions on or adjacent to the site?
4. Is the site likely to be further investigated under the Authority's Part 2A Strategy and if so what priority would the site be given?
5. Do we hold records of any pre-licensing landfill sites within 250m? (Enquirers are also advised to check with DCC Waste Management)
6. Do we hold records of any pollution or known areas of contamination on or adjacent to the site?

We are not able to provide any form of certificate or guarantee regarding the condition of the property, and all comments and assessment provided are based upon information we have available.  We aren't able to confirm the accuracy or otherwise of this information and additional information not available to the Authority that may also exist.  The records held by this department are not exhaustive and a negative answer should not be taken to indicate that the land is free from contamination.

Should the information currently available regarding a site not be considered sufficient to satisfy any concerns that may exist, it may be possible that additional information might be available from the current landowner or builder of the property.  Failing that, the possibility of obtaining contaminated land liability insurance should be considered or a physical investigation of ground conditions at the property might be considered appropriate in some circumstances.

Contaminated land search request form

Contaminated Land Strategy

Since April 2000, local authorities have had a duty to manage contaminated land issues within their areas.  This duty was conferred by Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and associated Statutory Guidance.  The Act gives local authorities the lead role in dealing with contaminated land and requires them to publish a written strategy setting out how they will carry out their duties.

Although still relevant, the Authority's Strategy is currently is under review -  click here for a copy of the current strategy (PDF) [595KB]